Both Are Infinite: Book II Gaea Rising
by Thiriel
Summary: This is the chapter that jumpstarts the characters' long voyage throughout the universe! Tension mounts in Fanelia after the fateful transformation of Van and Hitomi's son.
1. The Trumpet of a Prophecy

Both Are Infinite  
Book II: Gaea Rising  
  
Preface: As I hoped you have noticed while reading Book I, "Both are Infinite" tries to express certain universal themes that concern the characters as much as they concern us in real life. My greatest reward, as the author, is to see that certain parts of the story have genuinely touched some people, and that the reader can take in the themes. We all of us have undergone, to some extent, the sadness and confusion experienced by the main characters. One of my goals is to convey, through the story, the kind of hope expressed by the following passage: "Life is a narrow vale between the cold and barren peaks of two eternities. We strive in vain to look beyond the heights. We cry aloud but the only answer is the echo of our wailing cry. From the voiceless lips of the unreplying dead there comes on word; but in the night of death hope sees a star, and listening love can hear the rustle of a wing." (Robert Ingersoll) Keep this feeling in mind when you continue to read about the adventures of the Fanel family. Hope you'll like Book II. Don't jump to conclusions - please read through the whole thing first. Don't forget to tell me what you think!  
  
The Trumpet of a Prophecy  
  
The time is out of joint; oh cursed spite  
  
That ever I was born to set it right!  
Hamlet  
Echoes of mourning filled the Nerya caves. The howling wind raced demonically through the endless granite tunnels in which all the remaining citizens of Fanelia sat shivering. It was the winter solstice. 21 ADW, the Year of the Dragon Wind, was drawing its last pitiful breath.  
  
The low bellowing of an Asopian horn shuddered the caves and beckoned the people to gather in the main chamber. Though lit by rows of torches and rising on all sides into a majestic dome, the chamber enclosed death. As the procession of citizens wandered in with heavy looks and steps, a priest ascended the little platform at the centre and began a solemn hymn, originally written in Poetics:  
Lofty and limitless, where darkness never comes,  
All the dwelling places there are magnificent.  
For they are happy in the light and know no pain  
All who enter there stay for eternity.  
Heaviness and drooping do not exist in their bodies  
Decay does not exist in their fruit;  
None who is among them has a dark shadow  
Full of light is their living self; ever in gladness  
And purity loving each other - they are beautiful. The alleviating hope of the song sent a rippling sense of beauty over the silent people. Melancholy briefly softened their dark vigils of despair. In everyone's mind was the frightful hope that death will one day free them from this pit of destruction and agony.  
  
As the hymn continued, nothing but its grave echoes was heard. After all the citizens have been assembled, the royal procession entered through the crowd. Valorick walked in front, supporting Nestor by the arm. Behind them were Endymion, Celena, Hermione and Merle, all in tears, followed by various lords and military commanders. The priest ended his song, and bowed to Prince Valorick, then left the platform free.  
  
With weary grunts, old Nestor was helped up to the platform. Time had been unkind to him. No longer did his eyes gleam with the vibrant intellect of his days, and his white hoary beard was dewy with tears. He adjusted his round spectacles and addressed the crowd in a husky, almost muffled voice: "My friends, it is with the ambivalence of grief and gladness that we gather here to crown our new king, but also to bid farewell to out former king, and queen. Fate has been cruel to our beloved homeland. But so long as Fanelia has a leader and a people, she has hope. Now, I realize that you are all very exhausted from a day of work, so without further ado, let us begin the brief coronation." Nestor was scant of breath, and he struggled to make the gesture that signified the commencement.  
  
The crowd held its breath as Prince Valorick ascended the steps upon Nestor's call. Some poorly played trumpets flourished, and everything returned to silence right afterwards, until Nestor spoke. "I, Nestor of the Council of Fanelia, hereby represent the Fanelian people, and crown thee, Valorick Folken Fanel, as the new elected king of all Fanelia." A glistening new sword was presented. Nestor knelt down on one knee and offered it up, "Long may you reign."  
  
Following Nestor's example, everyone, from lord to peasant, knelt down and a steady shout thundered the caves: "Long live King Valorick!"  
  
Valorick stood at the centre motionlessly. His dry eyes remained fixed on the royal sword offered up to him. To take it would signify an acceptance of the tragedy, an acknowledgement that he was no longer the prince, but the heir who has taken up the throne left empty by his father's death. He dared not move, or look up at the people, dared not attempt to accomplish his parents' dream of a saved Fanelia. When he shut his eyes tightly, he saw an image of himself as a child, playing in the garden with his parents. Darkness had once seemed impossible - but that happiness was, after all, only a seeming. When he opened his eyes, he found his own hand gripping firmly on the sword.  
  
He turned to the people. In that instant, the youthful charm of his radiant face suddenly hardened into profundity. "Fanelian, please rise," his sonorous voice stirred everyone. "It had been my late father's wish that the new law of ascension replaces the old dragon slaying rite with a trek across the wintry terrains of Asgard, as proof of endurance and worthiness. I thank you for your faith in my ability to take up the reins of leadership, but because of our present predicament, I cannot leave for Asgard just yet. As you know - " a sob suddenly broke our from Hermione; Valorick paused to look at her then continued. "The Fireans are still seeking destruction. With Asturia gone, we've lost our strongest ally, and since our home has been.destroyed, we have nowhere else to hide except here. I'm sorry that you have to remain hiding in these caves, I know it's difficult, but there's no other solution. We must stay put until help comes or until a better battle strategy can be drawn.  
  
"However." Valorick felt he needed a different state of mind in order to say the following. "Do not despair. I know it's hard but we must walk through these shadows. I can't be as great as my father, but I will try my best to lead you out. Fanelia, and all our ideals of justice, goodness, peace.these do not exist in our palace, temples, diamonds or weaponry. Burn them all and Fanelia lives, because it lives in us. So long as we are here, Fanelia can be rebuilt! We will prevail over the Fireans and a new era will be born!" The people cheered, but Valorick sensed some delusion or ambivalence in their uproar. He heaved an inaudible sigh and sensed the same feeling in himself. He then understood what his father must have felt while giving those inspirational speeches. The truth must sometimes be left undeclared.  
  
The ceremony ended untimely, as King Valorick did not know what else could be said. Everyone field out the same way they came in. As Valorick remained on the platform, eh noticed that various pairs of wistful eyes were turned and fixated on him. He very quickly evaded those helpless and pleading gazes. After Endymion, Nestor and all the guards left, Valorick lingered in the vast, empty chamber alone.  
  
The reflection of torches danced on the glistening walls and seemed to create a rhythm all their own, so separate from the flows of human life. Valorick lay down on the platform and gazed upwards. The towering ceilings of the dome were still embedded with raw diamond fragments, and in the darkness, the dome resembled the starry night sky, something that the Fanelian people can no longer enjoy. Valorick let the circular space close in around him. The temporary peace reminded him of the comforting solitude he used to have in these caves. He imagined that his mother would come running down the main tunnel, looking for him. But the echoes of dripping water, "dong dong", suddenly drowned out her calls.  
  
Valorick sat up and listened to the monotonous echo. It seemed to increase in volume. As he pictured the rippling of a water pond caused by the constant dripping, he trembled with the image. The echoes seemed to be murmuring to him, "There is no hope.there is no hope." He then understood what Hermione meant when she said there was something prophetic and undying about the ghostly Nerya caves.  
  
He picked up his new sword and unsheathed it. The royal sword that had undergone innumerable battles with King Van has been destroyed, so a new one was created. The silver blade, unstained with blood, still shone with honor and glory. The dragonhead crest of Fanelia was carved exquisitely in gold and its sacred presence lent a sense of heroism and justice to the inevitable horrors that will one day color the immaculate blade. But Valorick understood better than that. He had seen through the meaning of war, and the frailty of human bonds. Yet insight was of no use since it was action that was required of him - action to be ever greater than his father in order to defeat the insurmountable evil. His determination to storm through the darkness coexisted with his resistance to accept that full tragedy, and with his disbelief in his own abilities.  
  
As he scrutinized the dragonhead, he suddenly began hating it. All the sights and sounds of the chamber were somehow intensified. The glistening walls and dome, the echoes, the feel of the platform beneath his back, the eyes gazing on him.all were like menacing phantoms circling rapidly around him. He wanted to scream but instead, he cut his finger on the blade. A perfect line of crimson blood ran down the edge. Val shuddered at the apocalyptic implications of the sight, so he quickly escaped the chamber.  
  
He ran down the tunnels, along which the citizens were sitting or lying. He meandered through the labyrinthine veins of the caves and came to a more secluded area, guarded by soldiers. He crouched down and entered a small cave chamber. Merle was curled up in one corner, already sleeping, though in pain. On a mattress in the middle of the chamber lay Hermione, with her sad eyes still wide open.  
  
Valorick set his sword on the side and lay down beside his sister. "Hermione, you're supposed to be asleep. There's still work to be done tomorrow."  
  
"Well, I just can't," she cried, "It was hard, it was so hard watching you being crowned king. So I'm like a duchess now or something?" she began biting her nails.  
  
"Yes, you are a duchess so stop biting your nails!" he pulled her hand away from her mouth.  
  
"Don't tell me what to do, you're not my daddy!" That phrase came out the wrong way, and it reverberated awkwardly in the space between them.  
  
"No, Hermione, no, I'm not, but I have to act in his place and take care of you from now on," Valorick sat up and gazed down at Hermione. "Look, I know this is unbearable for you, it is for me too, but we must go on. It's what they would have wanted."  
  
Tears began blurring Hermione's deep autumnal eyes. "I know but I.I just wish I could use my phoenix powers to bring them back!"  
  
Valorick wiped her cheeks. "But you know that a phoenix can revive the dead only by raising them from their ashes. We have no ashes because the bodies.were never found."  
  
"It's not fair!" she cried.  
  
Valorick stroked her hair and all he could say was "I know, I know." That was his only way of showing the affinity that they shared in the bereavement.  
  
A deathly silence ensued and both of them felt utterly alone. The passing of Van and Hitomi had estranged the family. Fanelia herself had become a little moribund. The chambers of the Nerya caves seemed disconnected from one another, despite the tunnels running in between. Each was enclosed in its own darkness.  
  
After a while, just before Valorick dozed off, Hermione asked in a flavourless voice. "Can you sing that cradle song for me?"  
  
He awoke insipidly. "What.you mean 'Dragon's Bride'?"  
  
"Yeah, the one mommy always sang to us. It was daddy's favorite, remember? He said uncle Folken used to whistle it all the time."  
  
Valorick sighed and cleared his throat. His voice was tired and coarse, but gentle enough to feel like a feather brushing past the ear. Soon, Hermione joined in the lullaby:  
Sleep, my dear, have sweet dreams in thy sleep,  
Rest beneath love's trembling calm starlight;  
No more pain can reach thee in thy sleep,  
So dream through the peaceful night. They surrendered themselves to the evanescent experience of a calm they once thought o be imperturbable. For one second, everything did seem to be a mere nightmare, and once they close their eyes, the world would be awake once again.  
  
Just before Hermione fell asleep, she whispered, "Val, your voice sounds almost like daddy's, and you smell like him." Then she cuddled into his arms. While he waited for her to start dreaming, he held her and fought to stop the trembling in his body caused by the sobs. As soon as Hermione was deep in dreams, Valorick gently put her down and gathered his things together.  
  
When he pulled aside the curtain covering the opening of the chamber, he met Celena who was just about to enter. "Aunt Celena! I thought you would be sleeping in Endy's chamber tonight."  
  
"No, I think it's best I stay here and take care of the girls. You can share with a chamber with Endy. How's Hermione doing?"  
  
Valorick stepped out into the tunnel and leaned against the cold stonewalls. "I think she's trying to cope, but all this is probably too much for her, as it is for all of us, I suppose. Sorrow comes in huge battalions, doesn't it?"  
  
"Oh, Val," Celena placed a hand on his cheek. "I know what it's like to lose one's parents. A loss like that is never easy to bear, but you will pull through. With Allen and Orion gone, you two, Endy and Merle are all I have." In a short span of time, Celena had become inhumanly gaunt and frail. Wispy thin veins were visible beneath her skin that was like faded silk. She has become like the Mystic Moon, drizzly and robbed of serenity. And her beloved Tears of Time no longer encircled her wan orb.  
  
Valorick cupped Celena's hand within his. "Don't you worry, Aunt Celena, we will survive. Endy and I will make sure no more harm comes to you."  
  
"Val." Celena smiled sadly and kissed him goodnight. He waited until she settled into the chamber before he took off.  
  
The veins of the Nerya caves appeared to cease pulsating and flowing. Most of the people were already drowsy with pain-numbing sleep. Valorick quietly worked his way around the motionless bodies lying in the tunnels and finally found Endy standing guard at the colossal boulder that blocked the only gateway of the caves. Valorick asked the other guards to take a break so that the two young men could be left alone.  
  
Endy stood contemplating the flame of the torch hung on the wall, as if it were some unsurpassable landscape of moonlit beauty. Valorick came up to him and joined in the admiration of the flame. They stood there, side by side, without looking at each other, yet deeply acknowledging the mutual troubles they shared. That had always been their way of reaching forth and connecting infinitely.  
  
Endy suddenly spoke, with his eyes still fixated on the garish blaze. "Do you know what I miss the most about my father?"  
  
"Um.the way he was always your friend and never your parent?"  
  
"Well, that too, but I really miss how he'd tell those really stupid, disgusting jokes," Endy laughed. "Guess I won't ever hear them again.You know, I'm scared to face my mother, I think my face reminds her of my father's because we look so much alike. She must be dying inside. They loved each other so much.I'm also scared to look in the mirror, aren't you?"  
  
Valorick closed his eyes and nodded. "Yeah, it's like he's staring at me, through my eyes, looking at me from behind the line of death." Valorick empathetically laid a hand on Endy's shoulder. It agonized him to see his best friend shattered so. Endymion had been a child of the moon and stars, and the light he diffused was from up above, delicate and symbolic. Born with an aura of tranquility, he was always calm, free from tempestuous passions. He seemed capable of living beyond human sorrow. But now, for the first time, Valorick witnessed the waning of a celestial power, which had become as dark as himself.  
  
Endy turned to him. "I'll survive. I still have my mother. But how are you doing, Val?"  
  
Valorick dropped down onto the ground. "I.I don't know. I don't know how to go on.A mother and a father dead by a brother's hand.what am I supposed to do about that?" he gathered some stones in his fist and smashed them into the wall. "Am I supposed to commit fratricide in order to avenge my parents' death and Fanelia's destruction? As their son and as Fanelia's king, that is what I should do, but as a brother, I cannot!"  
  
Endy sat down next to him. "Perhaps you shouldn't think of it as fratricide. Griffon is not really your brother in any case. It's like your mother prophesied, he's Branimir reincarnated, correct?"  
  
"Yeah, I suppose," Valorick rubbed his booming temples. "But he is of the same flesh and blood as I, regardless of what he was in some previous life. Besides.father said I should learn to.to forgive."  
  
He locked his head in between his knees and recalled back to the germination of this tragic seed: one year after Valorick was born, Hitomi conceived another child. But this baby, born on an inauspicious stormy night, bore a strange birthmark upon his forehead - it was in the shape of a griffin. From that moment on, the family had been ill starred. Van became increasingly suspicious that Griffon was a part of the Fireans (whose symbol was the griffin) and the child's incessant crimes nearly drove Van to madness. Griffon bit his own mother, attempted to set the palace on fire, gave his brother a deep wound in the left shoulder.there came a day when the healers decided that Prince Griffon must be locked away in the asylum, situated near the hospital in Fidell. Thus Griffon receded into the dark background; he became the shadow of the Fanel family, and only Hermione's birth could illumine the darkness he had left. Though he was hardly mentioned and though memories of him were largely repressed, Van and Hitomi would go visit him twice every color. There were times of anger when they felt that the perfect circle of their love had been broken by this hideous progeny that they could not believe was their own child. But other times, their hearts had vast rooms of love for Griffon, and the dire fate of their ill-born child tormented them beyond any danger or fear that Branimir could inflict.  
  
Valorick recalled the times when he accompanied his parents to the asylum. In his mind still lingered the images of Griffon screaming heinously, and scratching his hands on the concrete ground, until the fingertips were bloodied. Griffon would sometimes let out a howling cry, sending Hitomi into tears. Sometimes, he would grab his brother violently, and start calling him by the name of Hamlet. Valorick never figured out what that name meant. Can this be my brother? He had often disbelieved the answer to that question, especially when Griffon escaped from the asylum and his identity as Branimir was revealed. Can brotherhood be so much? Can blood run as swift as water?  
  
Then Valorick remembered his Persephone, the beautiful enchantress whom he once took to be a simple shepherdess from Serenus. But she too was cursed with the fatality of a blood bred in darkness. Persephone, my Persephone, how shall we ever overcome.  
  
Endy shook Valorick a little and he awoke from his trance of remembrance. He touched the scar on his left shoulder, and hardened his mind. "What am I talking about? Forgive him? I've already rejected him. At that moment, he has already ceased to be my brother!" Valorick suddenly stood up and walked towards a small boulder that marked a side gate.  
  
"Wait, Val! Don't go outside alone! It could be dangerous. Plus, you're the king now, you should have an escort!"  
  
He held out his arm and signalled for Endy not to come any nearer. "No, please let me go alone! I'll be fine!" he began pushing the boulder aside.  
  
"But, Val."  
  
"Let me be, my friend. I need some solitude and fresh air. If there's trouble, I'll call for help."  
  
The gate was opened, and the long-absent air rushed into the tunnels. The guards hurried to inhale a few deep breaths before closed the opening shut again. Endy reluctantly watched Valorick's shadowy figure retreat slowly out to the ruinous world.  
  
In the lifeless aftermath of the destruction, even the wind gods and Aeolian spirits had fled the land. The smoke from the wreckage still flowed in the air, and the charcoal smell was nauseating. All the verdant beauty had been murdered. No trees swayed, no birds sang and no dragons roamed. The Mystic Moon hung like the eye of Death, grim amid the huge mass of the black earth and the black sky.  
  
Valorick dragged his weary feet towards the central wreckage. His back was hunched as if he had just been in battle. The towering palace he once called home rested as a hill of grey debris, no taller than a tree, and the damaged pieces of guymelefs surround its base. Valorick did not expect it to be so ruined beyond hope. Amid the chaotic and disheartening remains was the devastated Escaflowne, its energist no longer resonating, and its crimson wings torn to hideous shreds. Escaflowne ceased to be a god of war or peace, but became a prisoner of a moribund eternity.  
  
In rage, Valorick threw off his armour and unsheathed the sword. He stabbed it into the ground and knelt down, leaning his whole weight and soul upon the blade that was stained with his dry blood. "Ah!" he let out a scream. "Oh my soul.if I shall never come to know you, let me feel the lack. I don't want to be in this sepulchre of eternity. How can this wretched, perishable body be made of stardust?" he snickered to himself. "Someone tell me why.why.oh gods, ah!" he hit his forehead against the hilt and let out another pitiful howl. Nothing stirred, no answer came. All that was heard was the echo of his wailing cry that drifted across the Fanelian wasteland, bouncing between the barren peaks of life and death.  
  
"So, so.alone. Tell me, saints above, who guides my drifting soul? Who takes pity on our agony?" The darkness of Fanelia had suddenly become darker, and it took Valorick a few seconds to realize that it was more than spiritual darkness. He looked up through his blurry eyes and saw that the land was indeed getting darker. The one source of light was being extinguished. He looked up and saw the lunar eclipse. Gaea was passing directly between Earth and the sun.  
  
All his thoughts and feelings bled into the white light around the edges of the shadow's circle. For him, life and misery created the eclipse of love's fiery sphere. The barely visible light of the Mystic Moon formed a crown of incandescent vapor, flickering beyond the rim of the full black blot. But was the moon really still there? Did it survive the darkness that has overshadowed it wholly? Perhaps he saw no more than the bright kaleidoscope that transformed the madman's world as he tiptoed on the threshold of lunacy.  
  
The eclipse was soon over. Valorick wiped away his teas and was ready to return to the caves. But just as he turned to leave, a voice restrained him. "I've always known you were the dramatic one of the Fanel family." It was a resonant and profound voice, and could easily be mistaken for a god's. But Valorick immediately recognized the tone, and he swung his sword around, pointing it straight at the white-bearded figure who stood upon the air.  
  
"Aleph!" Valorick shouted. "What are you doing here? Who are you to judge what I'm like? Traitor! You've been helping the Fireans, haven't you? Give me back my parents, my homeland, my happiness!"  
  
"Now, calm down, young prince. Don't be ridiculous, how can I be in league with the Fireans? Don't let the moonlight get the better of you," Aleph approached; his white light rivalled the moon's.  
  
"Get.get away from me!" Valorick flung his sword around, as if in drunkenness, but he eventually fell down out of fatigue. "Don't hurt me anymore," he whispered wretchedly.  
  
Aleph descended onto the ground and stood next to Valorick. "Now, just calm down and listen to why I have come to you. After you hear what news and change I bring, you will be grateful, my prince."  
  
Valorick stared at the ruins and said lethargically, "You're like the harbinger of the apocalypse, what good tidings could you possibly bring?"  
  
Aleph helped him up. "I bring release to your pain and to Fanelia's pain."  
  
"Release?" Valorick chuckled and pushed Aleph away. "Release to our pain? How dare you speak of release? You know nothing of our pain! Nothing!" Valorick suddenly laughed like a lunatic and wandered around, swinging his arms in the air. "This burden upon my shoulder, do you know how heavily it presses down upon me? I cannot breathe! And have you seen the people inside those caves? Have you seen the look in their eyes.I don't believe in heroism anymore. Fanelia's cursed fate and Gaea's sadness.all the injustice.why must I set it right?"  
  
"Because it is your destiny!" Aleph gripped him by the shoulders and sat him down on a log. "Stop wallowing in self-pity. I see your suffering. I know, I know. Listen to me, Valorick Fanel, do you know why your parents' consummation in the prison had the mysterious power to change the universe?" Aleph lifted up his chin so their eyes met; Valorick shook his head dumbly. "It's because you were conceived. Val, you are a very special boy. As the son of Van and Hitomi, it is your destiny and duty to realize a love even greater than theirs. You are the first progeny of eternal love and its power to harmonize darkness and light flows in your veins. Can you now answer its call?"  
  
Aleph sat down next to him and continued. "Your parents believed in the Atlantis Within - do you? Can you believe in yourself, and in Persephone, regardless of what she is? Can you forgive your brother, and help everyone else do so, even if he is Branimir?" Valorick looked away from Aleph and into the distance.  
  
"So are you ready, child? I'm going to tell you my prophecy, except, it's a prophecy of the past!" Valorick nodded firmly. "Well, your parents' death served an important purpose. Everything you've experienced in your life has formed one out of many unforetold possible futures. Many fates coexist simultaneously in the universe. All are equally real, and you have a possibility of experiencing any one of them, but you're presently aware of only this one that you're in right now."  
  
Valorick nodded. "Yes, my mother told me about that."  
  
Aleph began pacing. "There is usually no way of communicating between the different dimensions, except by going back in time and going up a different branch that leads to another potential fate. The one you've experienced is an ill one but it need not be that way since this fate is not the only one. Essentially, by dying in the present, in this potential world, your parents travelled back in time and entered another reality. They went back to the time when they were in the prison of Basram," Val stared in bewilderment and disbelief. "And the whole scenario was played over again. At the climax of life and death, they had faith in their love, hence they bonded even in the coldest of prisons. They changed fate for themselves, for you and for Gaea. They called up both an ideal past, which helped them escape the execution, and an ideal future where adversity will eventually be overcome. Hence, Escaflowne, God of War, was no longer needed once they escaped the prison. With your birth, a new future was set in place, but of course, it too has pains and perils. Ultimately, because of what they've done, you and Gaea are getting a second chance."  
  
"Wait!" Val called out with excitement. "What do you mean? How will that work?"  
  
"It is difficult to explain. You don't need to know how the universe works, not yet anyways, just know how to act within it. In a few minutes, time will be turned back to the summer of this year, before everything began," Valorick gaped. "Memories of this tragic future will be erased but will be returned to you and only you, from time to time. These memories will serve to remind you to act according to what is within your soul."  
  
"So everything will happen again in exactly the same way?"  
  
"Of course not, hopefully not. Certain things might be the same but hopefully the unfortunate ones will be replaced. In order for the potential future to fully replace the tragic one, you will have to choose correctly. You're right about time being out of joint - it is, and now you must set it right. The turning point will come again and at the moment of choice, you will be asked, once again, to choose either hate or love. You've chosen wrongly this time, hence Fanelia lies in ruins," Aleph gestured at the landscape.  
  
"You mean this is all my fault? This is all because I couldn't forgive them?" the revelation overwhelmed Valorick with guilt and shame.  
  
"In a way, yes. But you're not the only one responsible, my young prince - everyone who participates in this future is responsible. Furthermore, your parents are crucial in the beginning and end of all this. You're not alone, Val. Concentrate on your task. You may not be the creator or the guide of this destiny, but you are the mediator, the Concord, sitting between hate and love, darkness and light. You must harmonize them, unite them and help bring forth a new world order, a synthesis."  
  
"But I." Valorick looked at Aleph with a tortured expression of confusion and hope.  
  
"Do not doubt yourself, my prince. I believe that in this other potential reality, you will come to learn about love, family and about all the meanings of the word 'blood'. Now do you still think I'm the devil's messenger?" Aleph smiled.  
  
Valorick tried earnestly to find his way through the unfathomable implications of this prophecy of both the past and future. He looked around him and an ardent flame arose within - the determination to change the awful fate, to see his family and Fanelia alive once again. None of the infernal images will linger in his memory, and he will regain his full life. The longing and desire intensified though he was still entangled in numerous questions and disbeliefs. As he turned to Aleph with the questions, he realized that a blinding light has encircled Aleph so that the white-robed figure was indistinguishable from the halo.  
  
"Aleph! Wait! I still don't understand." but before Valorick could finish, the white radiance of eternity overtook him. Then came a distant song of angelic chorus like an apocalyptic farewell to this tragic dimension. For a few seconds, he could still hear the noises of Fanelia disintegrating, noises from which he would hopefully be eternally divided.  
  
Then his consciousness was engulfed.  
  
~ End of Part I ~  
  
Firstly, I just want to pay special thanks to my ingenious and invaluable editor, JOSE, without whom the story would be like guymelef wreckage! Thanks for all your care and hard work!  
  
Second, I know you must be really confused about the whole thing with Griffon. I did not have this in mind when I wrote the interlude, which is why it all seems a little too sudden. However, there are a lot of details and explanation later so I hope to make up for the sudden onset. It's like Endy said, Griffon is the reincarnated Branimir - a whole new story is going to develop behind this. (Remember Hitomi in Book I said that she felt Branimir is bad because of some very tragic reason? Keep that thought in mind). It has some similarities with the Van-Folken conflict but not exactly the same. It really tries to bring out the themes, which are the lessons that Aleph said Val should learn about: family, love and the meaning of blood. This will all tie in with the themes of Book I.  
  
Third, in my mind, I have this design for the significance/role of the major characters, and it's sort of like this: Van and Hitomi are the "creators" of this fate/destiny/story (or whatever you want to call it) - you'll see how later on -, Valorick is the mediator (just like Aleph told him), Orion is the guide, Hermione is the perpetuator.I'm still undecided about people like Allen and Branimir, but generally, they're the protectors (yes, even Dornkirk is one). Hopefully, this design will work out through the narrative.  
  
Lastly, as you may know, Persephone, in Greek mythology, is both the queen of the Underworld and the goddess of Spring (daughter of Demeter, goddess of harvest). This reference should lend a big clue to what this character is really like. You'll meet her in the third chapter.  
  
Points of Interest: Did you know that Aleph's whole talk about parallel universes and potential fates is not just fantasy/sci-fi stuff? It's actually a huge part of astrophysics and cosmology. One theory of time states that every movement that has and will happen, exists simultaneously in a 4D spacetime reality. This is the "many-worlds" theory. One choice in any given reality branches out into innumerable choices, thus creating parallel universes. All possibilities are equally real but we can only experience one at a time. The problem with this theory is that it leaves us no room for free will, since everything is predetermined. An alternative is the quantum theory, which states that when the universe is faced with choices, it decides between them at random, in accordance with the laws of probability. This theory gives us free will. I think the Escaflowne story, both the original and my own, works toward a synthesis of these two theories.  
  
The hymn sung by the priest near the beginning of the chapter is extracted directly from the Parthian Hymn Cycles of the Manicheans, a part of the ancient scripture of Gnosticism (these scriptures were found roughly around the time the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered).  
  
The lyrics of the "Dragon Bride" song that Val sings to Hermione are actually supposed to fit into the cradle song you'll find on your Escaflowne CD (it's the song that Folken always whistled).  
  
Endymion, again from Greek mythology, was a mortal (shepherd) loved by Diana, the goddess of the Moon. There are various versions of the myth, one says that Endymion sleeps eternally on the moon, and Diana comes to give him a kiss every night. The reason why I chose this name is because since Orion refers to the stars and Celena to the moon, it's nice to give their son a name that refers to the lover of the night sky. 


	2. The Royal Fanels

**Both Are Infinite: Book II  
  
Gaea Rising  
**  
Oh my gosh, it's been an entire year since I've posted!!!! Sorry to keep you waiting so long! The last year of university has been absolutely painful, I didn't even have enough time to sleep let alone write this story! But now, the hibernation is over! Before I go to grad school, I definitely plan to finish the entire Book II, so please please support me till then! Due to time constraints, I will be writing faster, so pardon me if the quality is not as good as before – I just want to get the story out. I actually wanted to quit writing this story, but after reading the reviews people left me, I was encouraged again. Thanks to all of you who said kind things!  
  
Ok, since it's been a century since the last chapter, it's safe to assume that the reader has forgotten most of the plot – actually, so have I. About Book I, there will be sufficient hints along the way, so no need to review that – Book II can be read as a separate text anyways. I'll just remind you of the important points of the scary ch.1 of this book: Van and Hitomi are killed by their son Griffon, who is the reincarnation of Branimir; Valorick is handed the throne and the responsibilities; Hermione has phoenix powers, meaning she can resurrect people from the dead, but only if the bodies are found; Persephone is Valorick's beloved, but she betrayed him; Aleph, the elusive and powerful Atlantean from Book I gives Valorick a second chance by turning back time – the conundrum is that at some crucial moment in Book II, Val has to remake a choice he made – before, he had made the wrong choice, which precipitated the tragedy that you read in ch.1. Val is seen as the mediator of all things, the one who can unite darkness and light. Basically, everything that takes place from ch.2 onwards is essentially the past, and ch.1 is a possible future, one of many. If Val chooses rightly, then the future won't be tragic – of course, the ending is for you to read. I know it's confusing, so I cordially invite you to re-read ch.1, just to get a sense of continuity!  
  
The following chapter is less depressing. It portrays s regular day in the lives of the Fanels. The sections of the chapter are entitled with Tarot cards, just like in the original series. Due to the chaos of Book I, I may have left out some mysteries unexplained, or some details neglected, so if this is the case, please inform me! Hope you enjoy this chapter, and don't forget to leave me a review =)  
  
** II. The Royal Fanels  
**  
"Our will is only a gusting wind  
That turns us and urges us,  
For in our most fervent longings  
We are a field in bloom."  
Ralph Waldo Emerson  
  
** L'aria/ La Vita (air/life):**  
  
Valorick awoke. He couldn't remember if he had dreamed, or even if he had slept. All he knew was that a sound woke him – was it a noise, a voice or a song? Without thinking, he glanced over to the couch and, as he had expected, Endymion was curled up there. This impulse to ascertain his friend's presence stemmed from the uneasy feeling the dream had left him. It imprinted on him a strange and elusive tang, yet at the same time, it conveyed a sense of familiarity, as if it had once been a life. He longed to get rid of it. The twilight in his room was pallid and serene. It must have rained during the night.  
  
He got up and walked to the balcony door and flung it open. It turned softly on its hinges, not so much pushed by his hands as pulled outward by some wind on the other side of the door. The opening was like the blooming of a flower, and Valorick gazed deep into Fanelia's heart that the calyx and petals have kept secret. The ground and rooftops were wet and heavy, yet reflected the pale twilight, as if the sky had sunken down and taken refuge in the rain ponds. Valorick let his gaze drift aimlessly across the high clouds, then he heard the sound again. Only then did he realize it was the sound of faraway larks, heralds of the morn rejoicing in the dawn. Their voices were far, far away, singing farewell to the night, and they saturated the air; one had to hear them with one's feelings, not with one's ears. Valorick thanked the larks' song, for it was this sound that had drawn him out of the dream.  
  
As he was dissolved into the landscape, he suddenly felt a blanket thrown on his back. He turned around, "Endy!"  
  
"There is at least one moon step left until dawn. How come you're up so early?" Endy yawned and wrapped himself in a wool shawl.  
  
"The larks woke me up," Valorick smiled at Endymion then looked away into the distance. "I had the strangest dream."  
  
"Was it about that girl again?"  
  
"Yeah...she was there again. She completely eludes me. I can never quite remember what she looks like, or what her voice sounds like. As soon as I wake up, she dissolves into a mere feeling. Her touch is like the wind that blows through me, yet at the same time, remains in me. There's something...otherworldly, I suppose. I do remember her eyes though...like diamonds."  
  
"Perhaps she is a vision of the future," Endymion's eyes brightened. "Perhaps you've inherited your mother's visionary powers."  
  
"Perhaps. But the other thing about this dream, Endy, was that it was unbearably sad. I remember people dying and Fanelia burning. It felt so very long, as if I actually lived it. I think I even cried in my sleep," he wiped his own cheeks, "Dry tears. And Griffon had become...never mind, I can't remember. I just hope that it is not a vision, just a nightmare. But everyone and everything are all right, aren't they?"  
  
"Of course they are, Val! Maybe the sea voyages across Gaea have been too tiring for you." Endymion's sapphire eyes smiled resplendently. Valorick had once heard from his father that Endymion inherited from Orion the power to assuage everything.  
  
A moment later, Endymion added, "All is peaceful, except for the arrival of cousin Amadis at dinner!" The two boys laughed.  
  
"Ah yes, I nearly forgot the Wanderer is coming."  
  
"Why do you call him the Wanderer?"  
  
"Because his mind is never at rest, constantly wandering, seeking disasters," Valorick laughed.  
  
"An apt name for him, indeed," Endymion yawned. "Perhaps we should sleep for a while longer. After all, there's much work to be done during the day."  
  
"You're right." Valorick turned to go in but paused at the door. "Do come and share the bed with me. Don't sleep on the couch; it's not terribly comfortable. Your sleep is disturbed nightly, isn't it? Of course, you're always welcome to my room, but perhaps you really ought to speak to your parents about it. Maybe you can get a room that's further down the hall."  
  
Endymion gaped. "Don't be ludicrous, Val! I wouldn't dream of bringing the problem to their attention, because to do so would necessitate the mentioning of..." Endymion blushed sheepishly. "Would you ever discuss such matters with your parents?"  
  
Valorick burst out laughing. "If I ever did, I think my father would develop either a panic attack or a rash!" Their laughter drowned out the lark song. "In any case, it is a wonder that you are the only child. Well, let's leave the problem for now. Come inside."  
  
Valorick stretched out his arms and just as the two of them were about to crawl into bed, Endymion pulled him back. He gestured for Valorick to be silent then pointed to the bed. Valorick turned suspiciously and it was then that he realized someone was inside the covers on the bed. He noiselessly backed up to his desk and reached for his sword. With soldierly caution, he and Endymion stood at the bed of the bed, ready to attack.  
  
"Who goes there? Is it you, Hermione?" No answer came. "I'll tell you the story of Escaflowne if you come out, Hermione." Still no answer. Valorick looked at Endymion and shook his head. "Come on out of there, whoever you are! Your concealment here is considered a trespassing upon royal property!" The lump covered inside the blanket began to stir. Valorick pointed his sword straight at it.  
  
Slowly, a hand began creeping out from beneath the covers. Then suddenly, the cover was thrown off completely and the person was fully revealed. "The day that you, Valorick Fanel, can threaten me, is the day time runs backwards!"  
  
"Amadis!" Valorick and Endymion shouted simultaneously.  
  
"Hullo, cousin Endy!" Amadis sneered and stood up on the bed, with his arms crossed pompously. His blue eyes were beaming like an owl's in the dark.  
  
Valorick dropped the sword and pulled Amadis off the bed. "What in the name of Gaea are you doing here, hiding on my bed, at this hour? You were not supposed to come until dinner time!"  
  
Amadis pushed Valorick away and began brushing his bright blond curls. "Careful with the hair, Valorick! I'm not a savage like you."  
  
"Quit shouting so loudly." Valorick grunted through his teeth.  
  
Amadis nonchalantly sat down on an armchair and rested his feet on the bed. "What are you doing up at this hour? Nothing illegal and delicious, I hope."  
  
Endymion quickly held Valorick back and stepped forward. "Amadis, you still have not told us why you're here. Where's uncle Allen?"  
  
Amadis began brushing lint off his shirt. "Oh dear, funny you should ask, Endy. You see, last night, as I was immersed in the festive spirit of drinking and debauchery, I was dared by my companions to sneak into the melef storage house and pilot one of the Caeli guymelefs – to impress the ladies, you understand?" Amadis winked and fluttered his lashes. "To make the most spectacular feat, I took Scherazade out for a walk, and given my intoxication at the time, it kind of...well, received a few wounds here and there."  
  
Endymion gasped. "You damaged Scherazade? Uncle Allen will be most furious!"  
  
"Bravo, cousin Endy! That is the reason why I've sped down the highway to Fanelia. By the time His Majesty arrives for dinner, the fury will have aged a little, and will hence be easier to withstand."  
  
"How much is a few wounds?" Valorick asked in contempt.  
  
"Oh...only an arm off, and a leg torn. The energist chamber was cracked and the cloak nonexistent. Oh yes, and I couldn't find the sword."  
  
"A few wounds? The guymelef is practically destroyed!"  
  
"Relax, Valorick, they can fix it. Even if not, who cares, it's an old piece of antique anyways! He can get a new one"  
  
Valorick heaved crossly. "Surely you cannot believe that! Scherazade has accompanied your father on many perilous adventures and aided his triumph in famous battles! The least you can do is return to Asturia and apologize. You can't stay here!"  
  
"Oh, but please!" Amadis imitated the whining of a little girl. "My old man won't be hurt...it's not as if he has romantic attachments to the guymelef. Just let me stay for the day. I promise I'll be good. Thanks, boys!" Without waiting for anyone's reply, Amadis turned and curled up on the chair and fell asleep.  
  
Endymion sighed. "Well, there's nothing we can do to persuade him. We should just let him stay. I'm sure my mother will look after him."  
  
"Wanderer..."Valorick stared at him. "Endy, you should get some rest as well. I think I'll go check if my dad is awake yet."  
  
"Right then. I'll stay here with Amadis."  
  
Valorick carefully closed the door behind him and walked down the hall towards that room with the dragonhead crest on the door. His steps quickened as he suddenly longed for the safety provided by the presence of his parents.  
  
**Il Sole (The Sun)**  
  
Every morning, ere the first rosy step of the pale dawn, Van would quietly slip out of bed and stand on his balcony. Even in the chills of winter, he would venture out with no shirt on, and no shawl. All he needed was a cup of hot tea, and the knowledge that Hitomi was still sleeping peacefully on the bed behind him. From the king's chamber, he had the unclouded view of the sun being born into the fullness of the Fanelian Valley.  
  
Summer mornings always had a certain calmness about them, and Van felt particularly tranquil that day. He leaned over the railing and inhaled the cold air. It wad the scent of the forest after rain. The leaves and petals were still bedewed. The whole land beneath, his homeland, was refreshed, after receiving both the falling rain and the falling sunshine. Van noticed workers, bakers, farmers...already bustling and setting out for a new day. Everything was expectation and patience. Then he heard the rushing of stream from Hitomi's Japanese garden. He imagined that she grew up listening to that eddying sound, just as he himself had grown up listening to the trees of Fanelia.  
  
The Mystic Moon had already veiled itself. Van shut his eyes and when he opened them again, he beheld the perfect moment: the ascent of the sun from behind the mountains, and the diffusion of the light into the valley's cradle. He realized that everything about the sunrise and the sky as a whole is unnameable, and that the cyclic return of the celestial orb cannot truly be counted on the clock or calendar. He was glad. The morning sun was always soft and it was at sunrise that it would be possible to stare straight at the core of the flaming star.  
  
"Dad?" Valorick had approached the balcony quietly.  
  
Van turned around. "Val! This is a rare hour to see you awake. Have you come to receive the sun?"  
  
"No, I had a rather mysterious and unpleasant dream. The larks woke me up."  
  
"I see. I've had my share of horrible dreams, though not as horrific as the visions your mother used to have. Here," Van poured a cup of tea for him, "Have some hot tea, it'll warm you up. Thank the heavens for Zaibach's tea warmer!"  
  
Valorick laughed and came to stand by his father's side. "I wonder if the sunrise wills till be this glorious if something bad were to happen to the world."  
  
Van smiled and tousled his son's hair. "The sun does not rise for us. It will go on shining even if Gaea were destroyed."  
  
Valorick nodded contemplatively. "Hmm...What day is it?"  
  
"Orange, 21st moon, I believe."  
  
"The summer solstice..."  
  
Just as all was serene beneath Aurora's light, a burst of exhilarated laughter came from the room behind them. They turned inside and saw Hermione jumping uncontrollably on the bed.  
  
"Mommy! Mommy! Wake up! Wake up! There's one more day left till our trip! Wake up!" Hermione cheered vivaciously.  
  
Hitomi opened her eyes in exhaustion and pulled a pillow over her head. "Hermione darling, do quiet down. Let mommy sleep for a while longer."  
  
"Oh please," Hermione pulled her mother. "Let's start packing now."  
  
"Hermione," Van stepped in, "Let your mother rest."  
  
"Daddy!" She jumped into Van's arms.  
  
"Hey! How's my little girl?" he kissed her on the cheek.  
  
"My snow dragon of Asgardia has not hatched yet!" she pouted. "It's all your fault, Val!"  
  
Valorick stood up from his chair. "What do you mean? I told you that it takes at least three colors to hatch. You have to be patient. Maybe you didn't take care of it well enough. Maybe the little dragon is already dead!"  
  
Hermione shrieked. "Stop it! That's mean!"  
  
Van sighed and put Hermione down. "That's enough, both of you. You're making too much noise. Can you go back to your rooms?"  
  
"No!" Hermione stomped her feet. "I want to play with the phoenix relic!" Immediately, she ran over to the bedside stand and opened a box that contained the blazing relic, wrapped in silk.  
  
Hitomi quickly woke up and tried to take the box from Hermione. Valorick went over and helped by trying to drag Hermione away. Much shouting and whining ensued. It was at this time when Van withdrew from the scene and looked in at it. Either from within or without, he understood that this image of his beloved wife and children was the manifestation of Eros.  
  
**La Ruota (The Wheel)**  
  
After breakfast, it was customary for Van to have an archery contest with Orion on the grounds before the castle.  
  
Through innumerable battles and relentless training, the two men have come to master both weapon and self. In the beginning, nothing seemed further away from spirituality than war and aggression. But a philosophy was somehow born from their ardent desire to cleanse their bloodstained hands. This philosophy teaches that by being free from the enemy, the warrior frees himself. He does not simply kill an enemy, he also destroys the darkness within. In archery, the important thing is not to hit the centre of the target, but to hit 'something' within both himself and the world. The motions of drawing an arrow and releasing it were not just action, but emotion. This philosophy was the only way warriors could justify themselves to the battles and killings they may yet have to face.  
  
Orion adjusted the strap of his quiver and began filling in the arrows. "Van, I've beaten you 14 times in a row, I don't think we need any more proof that I'm the Ultimate Archer, the King of Arrows, the God of...I can't think of another word," he twisted his eyebrows. "Swiftness, maybe?"  
  
"Hmm..." Van smiled, "You just have beginner's luck." He carefully brushed the plumes of the arrows.  
  
"Ha!" Orion smacked an empty quiver against Van's chest. "We'll just see about that! Fill 'er up!"  
  
A page came up and stood behind the two archers so that he can refill the empty quivers. Orion shook out his hands and arms and picked up a bow. Van did likewise and positioned himself on the mark. Their eyes remained steadily on the red circle, and their right hands reached for the first arrow. Van took a deep breath and closed his eyes.  
  
"You ready?" Orion asked and recognized Van's implicit reply. "Go!"  
  
For the next minute, the shafts shot out like the bolts of a god, each straight to its happy mark. At the end, the page hurried up to the board and began counting the arrows – red ones were Van's, blues were Orion's. The sky blue arrows outnumbered the red ones by three.  
  
Orion turned to Van, his eyes gleaming and his moist lips slanting in a delicious smirk. But Van saw not pride, but Orion's eternal candidness, his fervor and audacity, dauntless against the tides of time and circumstance. In that respect, Van gladly recognized his friend as the superior warrior. "Another triumph for you," Van patted him on the back.  
  
"So it would seem. But I won't gloat this time...I really like that pocket watch you gave me, so on account of that, I'll let you go!" Orion beamed a resplendent smile.  
  
Just as the two men were taking off the quivers and preparing to rest beneath boughs, Valorick and Endymion approached them with eager footsteps, a sense of the morning zeal that looks forward to the fulfillment of the day.  
  
Van turned to them. "So has Amadis settled down yet?"  
  
"Yes. Aunt Celena has calmed him with breakfast. Her and mom will probably take him riding later on." Valorick frowned with some concern.  
  
Orion took a bite of his sandwich and spoke with his mouth full. "I can't help wondering what our old pal Allen is doing in the parenting department. Rather lousy authority, don't you think?"  
  
Endymion laughed. "Father, it is not as if you ever exert much authority!"  
  
Van sat down on the grass and sighed. "Endy, your father doesn't need to be controlling because you are too good natured; he should be thankful for having you. If you had been like Amadis, I think our clown prince here will be rather muddled." By this time, Orion had already wandered towards the servant who brought the morning bakery. "So boys, was there something that you needed to discuss with me?"  
  
"Father, we were wondering if we might be able to go into the Nerya caves and do some exploring. After all, there might still be chambers or diamonds left to be excavated."  
  
Van considered the proposal momentarily then nodded. "Be careful though. And don't forget to inform the guards."  
  
The two young men shone with glee and gratitude, then immediately ventured towards the towering cliffs that curtained the castle from the western sky. At the base of the granite cliffs, cradled behind carrier carts and simple machinery used to process diamonds, the expansive opening of the caves arched black and irresistibly mysterious.  
  
The guards welcomed the visit from the two princes who, dressed like archaeologists, seemed glad to align themselves with the common workforces that have always filled the caves with the broadness of their beings.  
  
It was breezeless and damp within the long, winding tunnels of the caves. Valorick was in the lead, holding the torch within his hand. Endymion followed him in long and slow strides, occasionally stopping to admire the diamond dust embedded in the obsidian walls of the excavated chambers. Their eyes were averted heavenward, as if spying for some unseen beauty hidden in the crevices, and they panted with eager steps as the destination felt closer. In the meantime, they engaged in the fantastical speculations that they often entertain themselves with.  
  
"Val, here is the eternal question again: do you really believe all those stories about Escaflowne?"  
  
Valorick chuckled. "Well, they could very well be bedtime stories that our parents made up to entertain us. Hermione sure loves it. But then again, all the details and emotion attached make the story sound real, and very possible, don't you think?"  
  
"Perhaps...But you actually believe that my mother was once a man who tried to kill your father, and worked for your dead uncle and some crazy emperor?'  
  
"I guess that is pretty ludicrous," Valorick laughed.  
  
"And what about this Atlantis myth? We've been to the Mystic Valley and saw nothing of the kind they mentioned! And all those complex stories about the past..."  
  
"Right, Seraphine and...Branimir..."Valorick suddenly stopped walking. An upsurge of that elusiveness retained from the dream welled up in him, and an echo seemed to have come from the invisible end of the cave. He immediately turned to the direction of the echo. The monotonous "dong, dong" seemed to have murmured: 'There is no hope.' The phrase sounded with familiarity and prophecy. Valorick sickened into pale shock.  
  
"What's wrong, Val? You don't look so good."  
  
He blinked and when he tried to hear the echo again, it was gone. "Oh, nothing," he squeezed his eyes then continued the trek. "Right, and Serenus, with the shepherd. All that confusion about Time, gives me a headache just to make some sense of it. Perhaps we should leave it alone."  
  
"Perhaps. Even it the story is only a fabrication, I think it lends a beautiful romantic light to our parents' love. If only I too can experience such adventure and romance," Endymion smiled to himself.  
  
"You will...you will..."  
  
"Are you certain you're all right, Val? Maybe we should get out for some air."  
  
"No, that's not necessary, I'll be fine. What were you saying?" Valorick kicked a rock aside and led on.  
  
"Well, the centre of the mystery and of my disbelief lies in the existence of Escaflowne. How can a guymelef of its colossal status, size and power just simply vanish somewhere along a route of time travel? What evidence do we have of its reality? Where do you think it is now?"  
  
"Here, come give me a hand." Endymion went up and aided Valorick in pushing aside a large boulder that concealed the opening to an unknown chamber. They bent down and walked inside. Valorick looked up and saw the vault of the cave widening on all sides. After he secured the torch onto the wall, the light and dark, substance and shadow of the space were all intermingled into a canopy that cast its sublime stillness over the warrior shape that rested in the middle. The colossus stood before them in perfect view, exposed and lifeless like an unfinished book – it was a half- constructed guymelef, clad in a cloak of red and blue.  
  
"Escaflowne is here," Valorick pronounced solemnly.  
  
Endymion lay down a tool kit that he had carried with him. "It is magnificent indeed. Everyday, it's looking more like that picture we saw of Escaflowne."  
  
Valorick put on a pair of gloves and opened a pocket book. "Let's get started then. We haven't worked on it for almost an entire color. Here, look at this detail, I copied it from Uncle Dryden's book on Escaflowne," Endymion leaned in. "I think today we should complete the sinews and circuitry of the arm. Later remind me to order the padding needed for the pilot chamber."  
  
"Right!" Endymion rubbed his palms together fervently and examined a construction blueprint before obtaining the necessary tools. The boys climbed onto the guymelef and submerged themselves in the re-creation of a legend, a god.  
  
The tools clang away against the polished metal of the gleaming guymelef. Strikes produced fiery sparks that momentarily illumined the exhausted but vivid gaze of the young men. Every noise corresponded to the 'dong, dong' that resounded somewhere deep in the core of the caves, and presaged the pounding of the guymelef's heart.  
  
After two hours of working, they sat down for a break. Endymion wiped his forehead and took off the gloves. "I think the pyramidal structure above the left shoulder should be more pronounced, because right now it looks a little unsymmetrical."  
  
Valorick straightened the plan sheet and scrutinized it. "Yes, you're right, but I thought we had the calculations right though. I guess I underestimated the space needed for the energist chamber. In any case, the energist is the most important."  
  
"Think we'll make a trip to the energist mines of Ishtar and get one?"  
  
"Hmmm...I don't know. We probably won't have a chance. But I want something more remarkable than a mere energist from some mine. Something with meaning."  
  
"You mean, like a used energist? But that'll be hard! Who'll willingly give you their energist?"  
  
Valorick sighed contemplatively. "The best would be to have the energist that my father used, but that disappeared long ago. We have to have something from the past, in order to make Escaflowne real! A great energist from a great guymelef, like Scherazade"  
  
"But you can't be serious! Uncle Allen..." Endymion's remark was cut short by an echoing rustle that came from the outside tunnel.  
  
The boys swiftly extinguished the torch with a pail of water, and crouched in the darkness behind the entrance boulder. They carefully controlled their labored breathing so that whomever was in the tunnel would not espy their secret presence.  
  
A whistling tune was soon within hearing range. Then a dancing torchlight cast the shadow of a figure onto the chamber floor. "Boys?" The voice asked cheerfully.  
  
Endymion sighed with relief. "It is only my father." He quickly emerged from the shadows and pulled Orion into the half-concealed cave. "Father, you mustn't appear unannounced liked this, what if someone followed you?"  
  
"Oh please, do you honestly think that I would be so careless after years of being my brilliant self?" Orion laughed and secured his torch on the rugged wall.  
  
Valorick peered out into the dark tunnel to reassure himself that no one else was there. "Uncle Orion, does my father know where you are?"  
  
"Oh, he thinks I'm dealing with some ex-soldier named Augustus who apparently has some great idea about how to manage my army. It's quite a bore really, so I just left without telling anyone."  
  
"That's rather irresponsible of you, father, you should respect the opinion of others."  
  
Orion laughed and fell down against the wall. He turned to Valorick, "Just listen to him! A stranger would think he's the father and I'm the son!" He winked at Endymion. "Anyhow, boys, I'm here for one purpose, and that is to see how far you've progressed with this guymelef."  
  
Valorick rushed forth at once and grabbed Orion by the wrist. "Yes, of course. Come closer, look at how gorgeous this surface it on the armour. Endy, light more torches, so the whole thing can come into view."  
  
Blackness soon gave way to the trinity of light. At the centre of the focused rays stood the resplendent guymelef, half-breathing, half- shattered, as if it had lived through its past life of torture and bargained with death for another battle.  
  
Orion was speechless. He gasped and ran his fingers delicately across the back of the silken cloak. Behind him, the unsheathed blade lay against the rocks, and he bent down to touch the crest on the hilt. He quickly withdrew his finger. "So Escaflowne lives again...Dear heavens, it's as beautiful as it always was. You boys have done a tremendous job over the past few colors." His gaze flew up as high as his neck would allow, "It's the spitting image. How did you ever get it to look so alike just by copying from a few pictures?"  
  
Valorick took a deep breath. "Well, sometimes it's almost as if I actually piloted the real Escaflowne in some other life, you know? So when I was drawing up the construction plan, I could just work from whatever was in my mind. And there it was, the legendary guymelef."  
  
Orion glanced at Valorick curiously. "Another life? Huh.... that's interesting, Val. When this all comes out, you should tell your mother about that. You are going to tell them that you re-made Escaflowne, right?"  
  
Valorick looked at Endymion with some nervousness. "Well, yes, I think that will be inevitable someday. But as of now, there is no need. Besides, we're still doing some final touches. We're thinking of naming it Escavlon, actually."  
  
"I found that name in one of the books about the Mystic Moon," Endymion said.  
  
"The problem right now is the energist. Uncle Orion, any idea where we could find a special one, preferably one with ancient history, been inside a great melef, that sort of thing?"  
  
Orion smirked. "Wow, that's asking for the impossible. Most energists of famous melefs are either still contained within their chambers, or have been preserved by the owners. Hard to find one unattached. Although...." Orion rubbed his chin and paced around the chamber. "There is this legend about some energist contained in the Altar of Ara, supposedly came from this great primeval dragon, then belonged to some guy who shot an arrow at the stars, blah blah blah, I'm not bookish enough to remember the details. But anyways, it's preserved in the altar as an object of veneration, supposed to bring fortune, or whatever."  
  
Valorick's eyes hungered for the energist he was beginning to picture in his mind. "The Altar of Ara? Isn't that the temple of knights and warriors in Cesario? It must be a powerful energist then, if these men worship it!"  
  
"You should ask someone more learned, like Nestor. I really can't remember....Oh yes, it's called 'The Eye of the Dragon,' don't ask me why. But seriously, Val, you can't dream of getting that! The Cesarions would never give it to you, and you would never be able to fight those warriors. Well, time for lunch!" Orion shrugged and walked out the chamber. Endymion followed him out with the torchlight.  
  
In the deepening darkness, Valorick was left crouched in vicious desire and glee. His mind ached with the image of a glistening energist, like a rose in a furnace. It lay burning on a pedestal situated in the centre of a temple that lay beyond a garden where warriors waved their swords tranquilly, and the wooden windows of the temple lent a view of the sun- clad sea. The soul of Escavlon...  
  
**La Percezione (The Warrior of Dragons)  
**  
Heat waves were beginning to flood into the enclosed valley. Around noon at the height of summer the dust emptied the streets as if some catastrophe has swiped out humanity in one puff. Blasts of hot wind carried the dust horizontally across every vein of the city, asphyxiating and horrid, leaving no freshness behind.  
  
Van's temper was slightly exacerbated by the sultriness. As he stumped down the hall, messengers handed him paper, but instead of reading them right away as he usually does, he used them to fan himself. Individual servants stood in the corners of the hallways and winnowed great fans in order to cool the air. Van pardoned them so that they may drink some cold water themselves.  
  
When Van pushed open the doors of the conference room, a gust of wind brushed over the people assembled at the meeting table.  
  
Dryden yawned and swung around in his chair. "Goodness, it is especially hot this year. When do you suppose Zaibach's electronic cooler will be produced?"  
  
Van blew the hair off his forehead and let down the curtains. "Supposedly not for another year. Until then, we must bear with this heat. This trip down to the coast should alleviate our discomfort for a while."  
  
"Ah yes, you two families are heading down with the Schezars, meanwhile leaving me to tend Asturia! Well, I must exercise some tyranny while I have the chance. So who will be ruling Fanelia?"  
  
"Nestor, of course. But now we also have the kind service of his illustrious nephew, Trillius, who will no doubt take over once Nestor decides to retire. Ah, here they come."  
  
Dryden turned to see the aged and staggering royal advisor aided by a young man of sturdy figure, matched with childlike eyes, but a rather thin, mirthless mouth. He quietly bowed to the king and seated his uncle down. His group of advisors all entered duly.  
  
Hitomi followed them in, and sat down at the table, opposite Van. The freshness of her archaeologist's attire temporarily lessened the heat. She brushed aside her hair, and leaned forward, as if a breeze constantly caressed her face. "What a productive day I've had in the workshop! You'd never imagine! We've managed to excavate most of the remains of an Asgardian dragon. Perhaps one day we can display the fossils in the throne room! Is there anyone else we are waiting for?"  
  
Van sighed, "As usual, Orion is absent, no doubt detained in the kitchen. Let's not wait for him. I will begin, first, by expressing my concern about the forest destruction problem in Valasia, the coal depletion in Daedalus, and the explosion at the energist mine up in Zaibach. Any comments on these? Suggestions? Information?"  
  
The group proceeded to anatomize the issues. At the end of the three hour session, Van collected the reports from everyone, and rubbed his eyes in anxiety. "With this impending heat storm, the state of things does not look auspicious. I don't know about you but I have this sense of something coming, something great and terrifying. Perhaps it's nothing more than the heat storm, but perhaps it's more. In any case, let's be on guard and leave no loose ends before we depart for the trip. Nestor, Trillius, Fanelia will rest in your hands for a few days. I know you need no reminders or warnings from me, so I will trust you with everything."  
  
Just as he was about to end the meeting, Van suddenly cringed and sighed. "Oh yes, before I forget, this business with the suitors has to stop!" Van rolled his eyes and turned to Dryden. "Surely you must have heard about these Basram merchants who came to see me, proposing their sons as suitors for Hermione?"  
  
Dryden chuckled. "Think of it this way, it won't be a political marriage. The money they bring will be in the best interest of Fanelian economy."  
  
Van began trembling. "My daughter is eleven! What could they have been thinking? I must say, Dryden, these merchants of yours have been polluting my country in more ways than I originally thought they would. With money come certain risks, that I know, but this corruption is to be obliterated!"  
  
Dryden sneered. "Do you believe marriage to be a corruption? She is young now, but she will grow up one day, such proposals are merely ways of planning the future. Besides, all your diamonds would be useless if you had no one to market them! And..." Dryden stared up, and Van's glance pricked him like a needle.  
  
"Speaking of this diamond business, it is creating a gap between the rich and the poor! There are now prostitutes, thieves, and gangs, Dryden. Take your merchants elsewhere, or at least disperse them! Take the diamonds with you if you'd like. I don't want the rich and powerful running Fanelia. I want workers, teachers, farmers, thinkers, bakers, soldiers, all voting in my government!"  
  
Van slumped down into the chair and sighed. No one said anything. Dryden cautiously muttered to himself, "Well, Asturia is run by the rich and powerful, and she's a fine country!"  
  
Van said rather calmly, "But I am not Aston or Allen. This is my country, not theirs, not yours."  
  
Without a rebuttal, Dryden left the room. Hitomi hurriedly followed him out and detained him in the hall. "Dryden, you know the way Van is. He remembers that you've once saved his life and helped him rebuild Escaflowne and his home, and for that, he is grateful. But you must learn to understand his pain. He wants to keep Fanelia the way he remembered it as a child, the way his father built it. As that becomes more and more impossible, he feels pulled by the past and future."  
  
"Of course, you're right, Hitomi, you always are. We're both just doing our jobs. But I have to admit it, us merchant types are nasty things. I think we've all seen how bad wealth can get when my old man tried to kidnap and sell the girl from the Mystic Moon! Never felt sorry when he died...he made me too much a son of his."  
  
Hitomi smiled and kissed Dryden on the cheeks. "Don't ever think that. Your honest and kind actions have redeemed you. You are by far the most moral merchant I've met!" They both laughed. "Now you better hurry, Asturia will be wanting a guardian!"  
  
When Hitomi returned to the conference room, it was announced that King Allen and Queen Millerna have arrived.  
  
**End of Part II   
**  
I hoped that you did not find the chapter too uneventful, or the writing style too bland! Please continue to read and post reviews! I will try to get the next chapter up soon!


	3. Iris

> > This chapter was originally a part of the previous one, but I didn't want ch.2 to be too long, so I split it off into two. The following covers the family trip that the Fanels and Schezars take.  
  
** III. Iris  
**  
Does the Eagle know what is in the pit,  
Or wilt thou go ask the Mole?  
Can Wisdom be put in a silver rod,  
Or Love in a golden bowl?  
William Blake  
  
_Il Diavolo (The Devil)  
_  
Dinner occurred alongside the tempestuous argument between Allen and his renegade son over the matter of the damaged Scherazade. Food was spilled, and the onlookers agitated, with the exception of Orion and Hermione, who found amusement in Amadis's unapologetic rudeness. In the end, it was Valorick who mediated between the two, and made possible everyone's digestion of food.  
  
The heat did not dissipate by evening. Fanelians everywhere in Palladium were driven into the coolest corners of their dwelling, and there, to meditate on some distracting theme. The palace, though partially cooled by the servants with the winnowing fans, still had visible heat waves that hung spectrally in the air.  
  
After dinner, everyone proceeded to their rooms. Valorick and Endymion, having been freed from the irksome company of Amadis, took the opportunity to pack their clothes for next day's family trip.  
  
Endymion carried a large box of supplies into Valorick's room and meticulously placed them on the table. He went onto the balcony to retrieve a few articles of clothing hung on the railing, and returned to find Valorick staring blankly at a book.  
  
"Val, is there something wrong?"  
  
The prince regained his awareness abruptly. "Oh, nothing! It's just that when I held this book, I had a strange remembrance. It's nothing. Should I bring a book? No, probably not, there wouldn't be time for it anyways. What are all these things you brought?"  
  
"Oh, when I was packing I saw a few things that we might take to Griffon next week. I just thought you'd like to see them first. I hope you don't mind."  
  
"Not at all," Valorick sighed slightly and picked up an old melef model. "I nearly forgot we were supposed to visit him soon. In fact, I think I was trying to repress that fact."  
  
"Oh, I'm very sorry that..."  
  
"No, please, Endy, it would hardly be your fault. It's just that..." Valorick pressed down on the deep scar on his left shoulder. "I often live in fear of what he'll do. Every time we go see him, I feel like I have to be on guard, like he'll suddenly become murderous again, and forget that we're his family."  
  
"I don't suppose those drugs they give him are working?"  
  
"He seems to be beyond drugs, or cure of any kind. Father and mother were despaired to learn that not even love could save him. I think they've given up a long time ago. These visits are more of a formality than anything else. I think they want to forget him more than I do."  
  
"Have you given up, Val?"  
  
Valorick sat down slowly and began playing with the leaves of the book. "I really don't know. Sometimes I feel like I could, but other times, when I recall how he treated all of us, I just...I just, can't. It's...Ah!" he looked down and realized that the pages had cut his finger. The blood stained the golden edges of the book.  
  
Endymion hurried to get a bandage. "Are you all right?"  
  
"It's just a small cut, not a big deal. Anyways, there's nothing we can do for Griffon."  
  
"Don't think about it too much. Don't let him sway your mind this way. Just as you can build Escaflowne, so you can direct your own path. Stop the haunting yourself."  
  
"Thanks, Endy. Perhaps you're right. He could just have some disease of the mind. Did you know that father and mother are taking Hermione with us next week? After all, he is her brother as well, and she has not seen him since she was a baby. It's time."  
  
_Il Fuoco/ La Luce (Fire/ Light)_  
  
A blazing summer sun stole pass the beauty of morning and brought a perpetual noon. The whole land was made fluid by the heat that wavered above all beings and objects. Thoughts of the breezy coast and the cooling foliage offered pristine hopes of relief to the asphyxiated travelling party.  
  
Millerna was the first to be ready. She escorted the luggage down to the opening of the canal that stretched in front of the palace. A stout sailing boat rested at harbour, its wooden planks yellow and arid from the rising sun, and its rotund body cooled by the oblivious grey water. Sailors busied in preparing for sailing.  
  
The others were soon roused by Orion's enthusiastic yells. Celena and Hitomi distributed breakfast among the busy packers and prepared lunch boxes for the trip. The children argued about the seating plan on the boat. Hermione's fear of sitting with Amadis was resolved when Allen insisted that he remains with his parents, in order to prevent mishap. Valorick was delighted to learn that he may assist his father in steering the helm.  
  
Amidst chaos and relentless shouts of orders and reminders, the two royal families proceeded down to the harbour and boarded their sailing boat, The Ocarina, named after the great ocean they will soon see. After settling into the boat, the hour approached midday, and the two kings prompted departure. As the boat softly left shore, the passengers looked back to wave to Nestor and his nephew, Trilllius, who stood at the harbour as the gatekeepers to the kingdom. Citizens crowded around the two royal advisors and waved farewell avidly to the king who, for the first time in many years, was leaving the capital city for a vacation. Children ran along the canal, waving and laughing, and accompanying the boat with their bouncy steps until it reached the point where the Fanelian Valley met the upward rising hill that is Fidell. There, Merle and her adopted daughter, Vianne, joined the party. Afterwards, the waterway swerved into a tunnel inside the mountains and went around the mound that is Fidell, and emerged into the forests beyond Fanelian Valley.  
  
The dense woods parted in the middle for the canal to pass through, and the deep emerald seems embossed with one clear vein of metallic grey. Half way into the forest, the canal forks into two branches, one of which leads up to the mountain spring, whence the water came, and the other connects with the great river Eridanus.  
  
Folklore has it that the Eridanus is the earthly form of a sky dragon god that cast a shadow of itself on land in order to watch over Fanelia. As the second longest river in Valasia, after the Alpheus that runs through Asturia, the Eridanus runs from the Blue Mountains against which Fanelia is situated, north-eastward all the way into the Bay of Beltenon. It is one of the vital veins of the continent, and Fanelia is the heart.  
  
Seen from above, the shape of Valasia closely resembles that of a dragon with wings spread out. Geographically, Fanelia is situated right in the centre of the continent, and therefore it is known as "the Heart of the Dragon." Above Fanelia, at the base of the 'wing' is Asturia, with its many harbours opening upon the Mare Borealis (the Northern Sea). At the foot of the Chatal Mountains that mark the beginning of the wing is Basram, immediately beneath which is Fanelia. Pass the mountains lies Zaibach, with its massive air fields at the very tip of the wing. The Floresta Mountains stretch to the west of Asturia and connect down with the misty Blue Mountains that run diagonally, from northwest down to southeast, through the entire continent and end in the Southern Waste. At the 'head' of the dragon, on the other side of the Floresta Mountains, is the warrior nation of Cesario, with their sacred temple at Ara situated precisely where the 'eye' of the dragon should be. Beneath Cesario, and along the west coast of the continent are Egzardia and Daedalus. The perfumed Champak Mountains spread across the 'abdomen' and ' front foot' of the dragon, and Freid is cradled therein. Beyond the peaks that surround Godashim stretch the Plains of Angora, which touch the bottom of the Blue Mountains. The Southern Waste covers a huge area near the 'feet' of the dragon, and faces the Mare Australe (the Southern Sea). The Peninsula Imbrium, known as the 'tail' of the dragon, separates the Mare Imbrium and the Mare Stelle. Travellers from all over Gaea journey to the Mare Stelle, the Sea of Stars, to visit the renowned Coast of Calla that skirts the Bay of Beltenon. If viewed from a boat out at sea, the coast appears watery and white, for it is lined with an infinite number of ivory calla blossoms that grow so unnaturally by the sparkling sand. The city Varie, now filled with resorts, touches this coast on the east side, with its west side extending into the forests that cover most of Fanelia. It is to this coast that the Fanels and Schezars now sail.  
  
The boat Ocarina sailed smoothly down the Eridanus, and arrived at the city Aleph, where the group spent the night before sailing to Varie the next morning. Aleph is a quiet and monkish town. Upon the creation of the city, Van built a few Atlantean temples in Aleph, in honor of the great and elusive Aeon who led him and Hitomi on their adventures. Since then, the predominant population had been composed of monks, scholars, poets, artists, theologians, and people of a similar temperament. The architecture reflected the souls of the inhabitants. Oak and pine cottages lined the country roads lit with paper lanterns, and the thatched roofs and natural wood interior exuded a soothing scent. In the night, the centre of the town, though densely populated, seemed to be filled with spectral orbs of light surrounded by shadowy shapes.  
  
Van led the travelling party. Everyone had been asphyxiated by a day under the sun, and they leaned upon each other for support. Hitomi held Van's arm and grudgingly greeted the governing lords of Aleph as they showed the way. Allen carried some bags, along with Millerna relentlessly reminding him of miscellaneous things. The children trailed behind, with Hermione laughing excitedly at each new sight, and hurling her arms around a little girl who offered flowers.  
  
Humbly attired and pensive-looking citizens came forward slowly and bowed to the king. They followed the royal party until they arrived at a wooden gate leading to a garden with thistles and roses, beyond which is a cottage. A wide porch without railings ran all around the house. Hermione and Amadis immediately ran onto the porch and rolled around in the large cushions lying on the cool wooden surface.  
  
Van turned to the local official. "Lord Vasio, thank you for your magnanimous hospitality. I certainly hope you did not go to too much trouble, since we will only be staying for one night. But nonetheless, we will enjoy our sojourn here."  
  
The slender, short man smiled with much satisfaction and glee. "Your Majesty, it is my greatest honour to be able to host the royal family here in Aleph. The abode is quite humble, I do hope Your Majesty and Queen Hitomi and the Royal Highnesses will find everything up to standard.  
  
He then turned to Allen. "King Allen, Queen Millerna, I am too poor to have had the chance to visit your great country, though I am well aware of Asturia's renowned beauty. Therefore, I hope that you will not be vexed by the plainness of our architecture and interiors."  
  
Millerna's face brightened. "Dear sir, this place is simply divine. I must tell you that all that luxury in the palace can become quite boring at times, as can knights in shining armours." At that, she glared at Allen fiercely and went ahead into the house. He rolled his eyes, gave Van a look, then carried on with the luggage.  
  
Hitomi laughed nervously and took the hand of the confused Lord Vasio. "I assure you that you have done a tremendous job securing this place for us, please do not fret. Now, let us all enter the cottage and enjoy a nice meal."  
  
"Oh yes, Your Majesty, I almost forgot that we've arranged some entertainment for you. There are not many interesting activities in Aleph, so we've only secured some musicians to provide a concert. Will that please you, my king and queen?"  
  
Van hesitated and sighed. "I'm afraid, Vasio, we'll have to decline the music, beautiful as I'm sure it is. We have to travel early in the morning, therefore food and a good night's sleep is more vital than anything."  
  
At this time, Orion came up with Celena and Endymion, all carrying skewers of meat. "Don't be such a spoilsport, Van!" Orion yelled. "We've got the food, now we need some fun, don't you think? How often do we not have work to do in the morning? Or rather, how often do you not have work in the morning? Hahahahaha."  
  
Van's visage remained serious. "Where is Val? I thought he was with you?"  
  
Celena shook her head. "He was not with us. I don't remember seeing him once we passed the market. Perhaps he is inside the house already." Endymion nodded in agreement and concern.  
  
Hitomi immediately ran inside and came back with a frantic face. "No one has seen him. Where could he have gone? Perhaps we should spread out and look for him."  
  
"Val!" Orion shouted with his head thrown back and mouth filled with food.  
  
Lord Vasio stepped forth. "Your Majesty, I will immediately dispatch guards to search for His Royal Highness."  
  
Van frowned. "That sounds good, Vasio." He turned to Hitomi. "Please don't panic, my love, he's grown up, I'm sure he'll be fine."  
  
"Val!" Orion shouted closer again, this time standing close to the gate of the garden. Everyone else came out from the house and called out along with him. Hermione's shrilly voice pierced the tender stillness of the night.  
  
However, shortly after, Valorick came running into the garden, waving his arms excitedly in the air. "Father! Mother! You'll never guess what I've discovered!"  
  
Van stared silently in anger, and at that, Valorick calmed himself a little. Hitomi ran up and embraced him. "Val! You should not have run off without telling us!"  
  
"But mother, wait till you see the person whom I ran into! A most fascinating person. A soothsayer!" He ran to the gate and beckoned in a hoary figure with a crooked walking stick and eyes laden with age and sorrow. White mist seems to settle over his brittle being yet like deep winters, his visage showed the expectation of spring.  
  
Amadis immediately clamoured, "Oh, let him tell my fortune! Am I going to become a great warrior?" As he was about to run forward, Allen held him by the shoulders and disapproved firmly.  
  
Valorick explained, "It is truly amazing. He knew things about me that he couldn't possibly have! Like..." He suddenly glared at Endymion, and the latter understood it as a reference to the secret Escavlon sitting in the Nerya caves, a place no civilian has access to.  
  
Hermione also crowded in curiously. Orion in particular circled around the old man and scrutinized him attentively. The women glared with suspicion and interest. Van alone turned away and began walking into the cottage.  
  
Just as Valorick was about to detain his father, the soothsayer held up his staff and pointed it at Van. "Vannius!"  
  
A gloom suddenly fell on Van and Hitomi. Van stopped in his path and turned around slowly to gaze into the adamant eyes of the elusive visionary. Hitomi gasped and covered her mouth in shock. For nearly fifteen years, that name has not been uttered. Beside themselves, only Orion understood the impact of that ancient name, and the others only stared on in wonder.  
  
Valorick looked at his father in perplexity. "What did he say? What does that mean, father? It sounds so familiar, I could have sworn I heard it somewhere. Endy, do you remember?" Endymion stared at Valorick confusedly and slowly shook his head.  
  
Van brushed pass Valorick and the others and faced the aged man. "Where did you learn that? Tell me where."  
  
The seer closed his eyes as if in meditation and said calmly. "From the spirits, my king, ancient spirits who have travelled from Atlantis. They say you were a warrior there once."  
  
'That is not an answer!" Van raged. "Tell me who told you that! Was it a young man with golden hair? Where did you see him? Did he send you here?" In desperation, Van nearly clutched the old man by the collars. At that point, Orion and Allen intercepted by holding him back.  
  
Orion tried to stand in between Van and the seer. "Van, calm down, I'm sure there is an explanation for all this. Don't worry so much! Just - " Suddenly, the soothsayer grabbed Orion by the arm and gazed deep into his eyes, as if to fathom his soul.  
  
The soothsayer gasped. For one second, everyone thought he would die of suffocation or heart failure. But instead, he knelt down on the ground before Orion and wept, in awe. "Sahu!" He uttered through his tears. "Sahu, Thou art Sahu, the Great and Eternal One! Forgive me for not recognizing you earlier!"  
  
Orion chuckled incredulously and helped the old man to his feet. "I think perhaps you have lost some mental capacity at your age, dear friend. My name is Orion Fanel, general of the Fanelian army, duke of Palladium, surely you must have heard of me!" He laughed and winked at the crowd standing confounded behind him.  
  
The seer remained unaffected. "That is but your mortal name. Sahu is your true name, never forget it."  
  
Orion opened his mouth to speak, but before an answer could come out, the soothsayer noticed Hitomi who was hiding behind Van. He approached her and likewise bowed, before pointing a finger sharply at her frightened face. "Traitor! You will be the great Betrayer! A tragedy for one, but salvation for a universe! You will betray that which is greatest."  
  
Van pushed him away with anger. "This is outrageous! How dare you speak to the queen in that tone! You will back down or I will have you locked up, do you understand me? Guards! Show this man to the gate!"  
  
The prophet held up his palm in silence; Hitomi faced him steadily and nodded for him to speak. He hushed the tense and beating air, filling it with the wonder that is prelude to some immortal song of a rare bird. "You have eyes for nothing, you have no yesterdays and no tomorrows, for the Great Work must be kept going."  
  
After that, the visionary carved a path for himself in the crowd and moved towards the gate. Van was left heaving and dizzy from these maddening words. He was reminded of Aleph and all his infuriating riddles and commands. Perhaps this whole city has been infected with the prophetic soul.  
  
Van looked over at Hitomi and found her leaning weakly against Celena who, along with Millerna, helped her into the house. Hermione clutched onto Endymion, neither understanding the situation. Allen remained with one hand firm on Van's shoulder, ready to prevent him from impulsivity. Orion alone sat on a rock, impervious to the departing prophet, as if he had accepted the words as truisms no less than Van being a prince of Atlantis.  
  
Valorick looked at his father, at the soothsayer, and back again, then he ran and caught up with the old man at the gate. "Please sir, you must forgive my father, he has had such a troublesome past. Any hint of it brings such anguish to his heart. But you must tell me how you know such things."  
  
The visionary turned to Valorick and took up his hands gently. "My dear young prince, just as the sun does not learn to shine, so I do not learn to see. I cannot tell you how. I do not mean to trouble souls mortal and immortal alike. I merely pass on what I see, and sometimes in doing so, I help others re-see the universe. For you, dear child, remember that the fate of the whole world rests on your one decision."  
  
Valorick froze. Those last words reached deep into him and wrenched out some ineffable secret that ran like lava beneath the rock of his exterior. He remained entranced and did not notice when the soothsayer pulled away into the streets, or when Endymion called him from the house. Half- consciously, an image was born into his mind: a white-bearded figure clothed in pale fire hovered above ashen ruins; behind him, the dark circle of the eclipsed Mystic Moon hung in the charcoal sky. And in the air – the drumming of the royal funeral hearse.  
  
**_End of Part III_**   
  
Notes As I may have mentioned in Book I, the word 'Sahu' refers to 'the union of three' in Egyptian hieroglyphics. It is applied to the constellation of Orion which, according to the Egyptians, is the celestial manifestations of the three pyramids at Giza. Orion is also the place to which the pharaohs and the god Osiris journeys after death. The numerology of three is essential in this story, as it is in countless stories, myths and even religions, as in the case of the Holy Trinity. I specifically entitled this chapter "Iris" for not only does it refer to the visionary power of the eyes, it also hints at the flower iris which has three petals (a beautiful creation in nature). Plus, it is the literal translation of Hitomi's name, she herself being a seeress.
>> 
>> The part where the soothsayer says to Hitomi: "You have eyes for nothing..." is actually a direct quote from Italian poet Eugenio Montale (b.1896), in a poem entitled "Iris."


	4. The Coast of Calla

> > Since the last posting, some people have asked me why I have changed my pen name from Cielle to Thiriel. The reason is this: first, the name Cielle is common on (as far as I know, two other writers have the same name). I wanted something more unique, and Thiriel was it: it is actually a term invented by the poet William Blake, and it means "Air" – hence it sounds similar to 'ethereal.' I like its implication and its connection with the Romantic poet whose works have greatly inspired my thoughts. Hope the change was not too confusing for you!  
  
** IV. The Coast of Calla**
>> 
>> After the last sound has withered 
>> 
>> A silence remains, deep and broad:  
The stars are only many names  
For one single darkness.  
Rilke  
  
_La Luna  
_  
The wind chimes called out to Valorick. A nocturnal breeze was lifted above the deepening night. Yet when Valorick looked above, the treetops were unmoved, still and silent as if they had no souls. Every blade of grass and every stem of flower likewise stood tall, unwilling to bend to the wind. What was this visionary wind that could not affect nature? Am I the only one who feels it, he thought. The darkling trees were like the shadows of demons who stood unflinchingly, guarding his every movement, so he quickly ran towards the house.  
  
As he stepped onto the front porch, he heard the chime again. But if the plants are not moved, how is it possible that the wind chime can ring? Valorick went around the corner and saw a blue wind chime hung from the wooden beam. He walked over cautiously and held it in his hands. The music ceased. Dangling from the glass chime was a piece of paper, on which was written: "Heart of the Fire." The phrase made him frown; he did not like how everything was invested with so much meaning. Why does there have to be so much pain in one single night? He gave up trying to understand the phrase and let go off the wind chime and returned to the house. Just as he was about to step in, the tingling sound began again. He shuddered as he was reminded of preying spirits, and he entered the house.  
  
The proposed entertainment was called off. The royal abode rested silently. Millerna and Endymion sat in the front room talking, and Hermione lay asleep in the corner. Allen was reading in one bedroom, with Amadis snoring softly beside him. Van and Hitomi were nowhere in sight.  
  
Endymion came up to Valorick quietly. "Are you okay? That was certainly some spectacle out there. I'm never met anyone as mysterious as that man. I can tell that our parents were greatly upset by what he said."  
  
Millerna cut in. "I can never understand people who confuse others for a living. We have soothsayers in Asturia too, and every time they present some prophecy related to politics, they are almost never right! So you shouldn't be anxious about what that old man said. See, they purposefully make it sound mysterious so they can leave room for interpretation."  
  
Valorick kept his gaze fixed on the wooden planks beneath his feet. He said sullenly to Endymion. "Where are my parents?"  
  
"Your mother is asleep in the room. Your father went out with my dad, I have no idea where they are."  
  
Valorick quietly opened the door to the bedroom in the back. Inside, a little lamp was lit, and Hitomi slept peacefully beside Celena, Merle and Vianne. He was disappointed, for he would have liked to talk to his parents about the occurrences of the night. But he was glad that his mother has at least escaped to the world of dreams.  
  
Just as Valorick was about to go out and find his father, Millerna detained him, saying, "We have an early start tomorrow, it's better that you try to sleep now. I trust that Orion has a power that no one else has, I'm sure he'll help Van come to some understanding."  
  
Valorick hesitated for a while, then finally carried his sister into the room, and retired himself. For the remainder of the night, the house was silent. The elusive words of the prophet weighed down on everyone's mind. Even in her sleep, Hitomi began seeing flickering visions of the dragon and the phoenix spiralling in the phantom sky.  
  
Far away in the woods of Aleph came the laughter of Orion.  
  
....................................................................  
  
Early next morning, everyone silently congregated in the garden. Allen helped the women carry out their luggage. Amadis sensed the misery and tension in the air, so even he reserved the unnecessary restlessness. Millerna took care of Hermione as well as Endymion, since the latter's mother stayed with Hitomi.  
  
Valorick stood like a shadow near the entrance of the house. He listened intently to the movements within the room. When everyone else outside were ready to leave, Hitomi came out with heavy steps.  
  
"Mother!" Valorick rushed over and held her by the arm.  
  
"Val," she brushed her hand against his cheek. "You look tired, dear. I hope the occurrences of last night have not troubled you too much."  
  
He opened his mouth ready to speak but simply shook his head. "Where is father by the way?"  
  
Allen came up from behind and informed them, "Van and Orion took two horses last night and rode on. They will be meeting up with us on the Coast of Calla."  
  
Hitomi frowned; "Oh..." she said softly, then went ahead with Celena.  
  
Endymion came up and pulled Valorick along, since the latter was frustrated by the fact that his father had left without a word. But all parties eventually gathered themselves and proceeded to the river. After bidding farewell to Lord Vasio and the citizens of Aleph – who were baffled by the absence of the king – they boarded the Ocarina once again and sailed down the Eridanus towards Varie.  
  
The weather continued to bathe the land in unbearable heat waves. Everything appeared fluid where no trees shaded the ground. Hermione, Amadis, Vianne and Endymion happily hung their arms over the side of the boat and cooled themselves in the water, while Celena and Millerna sat under an umbrella. With Van being away, Valorick stood alone at the helm, with Allen occasionally coming up to check on him.  
  
The captain's deck rose as the highest part of the boat. From that height, Valorick could see far down the river and into the distance. The trees that seemed so spectrally motionless the night before, waved with the water and wind. Beneath, on the lower deck, the children played, their laughter absorbed by the zephyr. Yet amidst all this vitality, Valorick felt utterly alone. There was a ubiquitous sense of death, even in this sunshine. It seemed that he alone could hear the funeral dirge that resounded in the air. This river was like a canal, not into life, but into eternity, and there was nothing grand or beautiful about that endlessness, without form or substance.  
  
The river widened gradually, and at around noon, Valorick could see the tremendous opening into the Bay of Beltenon. He had travelled here when he was younger but in his memory, the place did not appear so unreal.  
  
They sailed into the Bay, cradled between the land and the Sea of Stars, beyond which is the Oceanus Ocarina. It took the boat a few hours past noon to reach the designated region. Even from the water skirting the land, they could see that the beaches were lined with white blossoms.  
  
These calla lilies have become symbols of the Fanelian coast, their white petals waving in the sea breeze, reminiscent of the feathers of the legendary white dragon. Since the Destiny War, many have forgotten the sight of the white being fanning peace over the land. But when people behold the sight of the beach, with the ivory blossoms moving to and fro in the wind, they remember the soft feathers that once brushed against their faces.  
  
Paradise seemed to have been imposed on this Gaean land. Everywhere on the white sparkling sand, people were relaxing in the sun, playing in the water, building sand castles...Children along the beach were attracted to the great white sails of the Ocarina, flapping in the wind, and they waved at Hermione and Amadis. Lovers were the only ones who sauntered by slowly, enclosed in a paradise within a paradise.  
  
The boat docked near the resort where Allen said Van and Orion would be. The crowd in the region became denser as news spread that the royal families of Fanelia and Asturia would arrive soon. Hermione delighted in having others address her as the beautiful princess, while Merle remained bitter all day from having her tail pulled by the curious children. Hitomi and Millerna gladly greeted the citizens and visitors alike, conversing with them on the beauty of the Coast.  
  
While the others relished in the social scene and the glistening landscape, Valorick quietly picked up his bags and proceeded to the beachside house where the Fanels were supposed to stay. Orion and his family stayed in a separate house nearby, as did the Schezars. Valorick kicked open the heavily embellished front door and dropped the bags in the vestibule. Everything in the house seemed to reflect the Coast of Calla. Lily white furniture was surrounded by sand colored walls, and the refreshing scent of salt water flowed in through the glass doors that opened onto the balcony.  
  
Valorick walked around the house and picked a room that faced the trees behind the house. He did not feel comfortable staring at the vast unpredictable ocean; it would be like looking into the depths of time's abyss. He picked up a large seashell that lay as a decoration on the side table and tried to listen to the sound of waves inside it; but all he heard was a numbing echo that reminded him of the Nerya caves back home.  
  
He stood out on the balcony and inhaled the salty air and squinted his eyes against the brilliant glare of the sunlit sea. By chance, he saw his father and Orion going into a large building that is the centre of the resort. Though far away, he was sure it was they. He hurriedly ran out of the house and towards the place. Innumerable people were in the way, and those who recognized him as the prince tried to seize him, but he unthinkingly thrust them aside and ran on.  
  
Just when he was at a loss as to where his father could have gone, he saw a notice saying that a convention was to take place in the resort. He reacted immediately and proceeded to the conference room. But when he arrived, the doors were locked, but a little peak was possible through the crack in the wooden door. He could not resist, so he checked around for bystanders and quietly positioned himself close to the door.  
  
Many men's voices could be heard, and Van's voice was audibly conversing with many people. Then, one authority began to speak, apparently a scientist from Zaibach. He explained some scientific terms which Valorick could not understand. But through the crevice, Valorick could see that his father and everyone else were deeply engrossed in the subject. The man began showing slides. The pictures contained what looked like weapons or just metal objects. They called it 'The Mind Machine.'  
  
"The Mind Machine?" Valorick whispered to himself. "What in the name of Gaea is that?"  
  
The scientist explained, "It gathers the energy of the human mind and uses that energy to perform the tasks that you want it to do."  
  
A flood of questions and comments suddenly surged up, preventing Valorick from hearing about this odd machinery. Minutes later, the crowd became silent again, and the scientist went on.  
  
"You are no doubt aware of Lord Oneseme's theory about the Atlantis particles which flood in streams around the galaxy. What the Mind Machine also does is that it is capable of catching these particles. In theory, it can also generate its own Atlantean power by separating two binary Atlantis particles that are bound by nature. The separation of two inseparable entities gives rise to tremendous power."  
  
At those words, the conference became clamorous again, for the claims of the scientist were outrageous for some. Valorick could not see his father's reaction for too many people were in the way. But he himself was confounded. "The Mind Machine? Separation of two inseparable entities? Wouldn't that be like a sin?" he thought to himself.  
  
Just as Valorick was intent on learning more, someone suddenly hurled a pebble at him. He flinched and turned around to see Hermione smirking at him.  
  
"Val! What do you think you're doing? They locked the doors for a reason! Eavesdropping is a crime!"  
  
"Go away, Hermione! It's not like you would understand!"  
  
"Oh, I understand perfectly! Don't think you're the only one who knows what is going on!" She crossed her arms and smiled at him.  
  
"Please! Don't you have someone you can show off to?" He tried to push her away without making too great of a scene. "You're making me lose all the important information!"  
  
Hermione brushed off his hands. "Oh stop being so self-centred, Prince Valorick! I know that you're just desperate to talk to father about what happened last night! You want him to tell you that everything is going to be all right! You think I'm not bothered by the soothsayer? You think everyone else has forgotten about it?"  
  
Valorick was dumbfounded. He blushed slightly. "I....I suppose you're right."  
  
"Well, I'm not going to bother father and mother for a while. I think it's their problem to work out, not like we can do anything about something that happened aeons before we were born! So, I'm going to check on my Asgardian dragon egg, to see if it's hatched!"  
  
"You brought it?" Valorick scoffed at her as she skipped off to the beach. He quickly turned his attention back to the convention. But as soon as he regained vision of the room, he realized that many people were leaving their seats and motioning towards the door. Upon that signal, he swiftly ran down the hall and out of sight.  
  
Treading upon the hot, soft sand, he was at peace somehow. He had not known that his sister was capable of being so perceptive. He had always seen her as the stubborn, spoiled and impossibly shallow princess who decorates the halls of the palace with her brilliance. But perhaps she really has grown up a little.  
  
His mind was equally mesmerized by the ideas disseminated at the convention. He tried to imagine what it would be like to operate something like the Mind Machine, which not only does what its pilot wills, but is also capable of garnering energy from human thoughts. However, the idea of separating Atlantean particles disturbed him. He had no conception of such particles, but the idea of severing what is naturally meant to be together rang a forbidden or tragic tone through his head. Thinking of these invisible elements that flow through the universe, he felt relieved. Perhaps like theoretical science, the words of the soothsayer were only conjecture, great achievements of the imagination flung into the Infinite.  
  
_ La Stella  
_  
Hermione has happily informed everyone that they would be able to watch a meteor shower that very night. Immediately, there were measures to build tents on the beach, and Millerna eagerly engaged in ordering the suitable food. Everyone ran about carrying out plans and orders. Hitomi alone stayed in the beachside house. Even Valorick, wanting to forget the stifling numbness at his core, went along with Endymion in setting up the tents.  
  
Sunset soon streaked across the beach, gilding every speck of sand with an otherworldly gold. Blue intermixed with orange, yellow and red, and on top of all that was a delicate layer of pink lace. Light danced across the water, the deep metallic azure of the sea wedded to the scarlet diamond that is the setting sun. A citric scent that wafted from the dinner table completed the sensory feast.  
  
By evening, Orion's nose led him to the buffet set up on the beach. Van followed him quietly and joined everyone. Hitomi was still absent but he did not enquire after her. Citizens and tourists were cordially invited to join the royal families. Hermione's gregariousness was of the kind that never tires from social interaction, and in moments of praise and kindness from others, she would become almost saccharine. And thus it was that the young princess became the focus of the feast, with all the guests gathered about her like leaves around a blossom. Millerna could only gaze enviously. To pacify her, Allen agreed to take her on a walk after dinner.  
  
By the time the meal was finished, the wind had risen on the beach. Silk curtains were drawn around the tent, and the guests sat inside, by the candelabras, and listened to Hermione's stories. She delighted in fantastic tales, whether told from imagination or from her imperfect memory. She told them of the time when she snuck into her brother's bedroom while he was sleeping and placed a salamander under the covers; the time she got lost in the Nerya caves and was rescued by the handsome guard; about her little dragon, which she will name Ryuu once it is hatched. She even incorporated Valorick and Endymion's adventure around Gaea as her own experience and told about the Mystic Valley, the Castalian Falls, the Mooncarcia Mountains – all places that she has never seen.  
  
As everyone was absorbed by her high-flown words, Orion and Amadis still stood ravenously at the buffet table, devouring whatever was left of the seafood feast. Celena and the servants cleaned after them patiently. Allen and Millerna had already left to pick some calla blossoms. Valorick and Endymion kicked a ball around on the beach. Merle swam in the cold water, and Vianne watched from the shore. Meanwhile, Van walked alone on the beach, muttering to himself the words of the soothsayer.  
  
Suddenly, a shower of stars began to fall propitiously from the sky. The crowd rushed out from the tent and cheered. Hermione jumped up and down, with her arms wide open as if to receive the descending celestial bodies. Music begun to play and the festiveness of the scene paralleled the cosmic stream of luminous ribbons, streaked across the night.  
  
Van smiled at the scene then quietly left and walked towards the beach house. From the outside, the rooms appeared dark. Van entered noiselessly and found Hitomi sitting by the starlit window, looking out across the sand. She was crouched upon an armchair, her arm propped on her knees and one hand covering her mouth. The meteor shower fell like shadows across her face. She had not heard Van's entrance. But he slowly emerged into the light of the window and stood looking at her sadly.  
  
"Van..."  
  
He groaned, remembering that they had no talked since the night before. It was the longest time since they were married that they had remained silent to each other. It seemed aeons since she had called his name.  
  
"Hitomi....I'm so exhausted," he pressed the heel of his palm into his socket, and sat down on the table in front of her chair.  
  
She leaned forward and massaged him on the shoulder. "Perhaps we should never have come on this trip."  
  
"It would not have made a difference. What has to happen will happen regardless of whether of not some prophet informed us of it."  
  
"Yes, I suppose you're right." She sighed and swept the tear-drenched hair away from her face. "I just feel terrible that Val and Hermione had to hear it. I wonder what will happen. I have such an uneasy feeling."  
  
"Me too...I had nightmares last night when I was sleeping in the woods, nightmares about the war. That's not auspicious."  
  
"Van, I wonder," she started whispering, "If this is all somehow tied to Griffon. I can't stop thinking of him lately."  
  
Van got up and lay down on the long couch. "Well, we are going to see him soon after our return to Palladium. But I would not like it if things got more complicated. Val and Hermione seem linked to Atlantis somehow, I don't want the same to be true of Griffon."  
  
"I...I don't know. I don't like what that soothsayer said about me being a...a traitor. What does that mean anyways? How can betrayal be for the good of the universe?"  
  
Van gestured for Hitomi to come over. She crawled onto the couch and cuddled next to him. "You know what I heard at the science convention today? I learned about the Atlantean particles Lord Oneseme told us about."  
  
"You mean the ones that are supposed to be related to the Atlantis Within, power of the human heart?"  
  
"Right, the very same. The Zaibach research team believes that they can use the Mind Machine to separate two binary particles and thus generate great energy."  
  
"Separate them?" Hitomi winced slightly. "That's..."  
  
"I know what you mean. I think the same, because we know what that feels like." Van kissed her on the forehead and they fell into a short nap.  
  
When they woke up, no one was home yet. The moon had risen higher, so they decided to take a walk on the beach. They went to a region far away from where the crowds were and found a rock that was perched near a precipice. From that height, the entire Coast of Calla was visible.  
  
They sat on the rock, dangling their legs over the edge. Talking about trivial things, they felt elated and young. But the shadow could not subside for long. Van saw Orion from afar, running along the beach and waving his arms wildly in the air. His freedom was envied by Van.  
  
"Hitomi," Van turned to face her, "Do you remember what the soothsayer said about Orion?"  
  
"Yes, he called him Sahu, the terms sounds vaguely familiar. I may have heard it on Earth once, but I can't remember."  
  
"It's a very odd name. And why did the old man bow to him? But if all this has anything to do with Atlantis, then I suppose Orion should be involved, since he was my little brother after all."  
  
Hitomi said nothing and looked far away, at the horizon that stretched half visibly between the sea and sky. Above the sparkling water, pendent in the purple ether, hung the Mystic Moon, like a pearly topaz lost in an amethystine void. Its iridescence tinged the sable surface of the ocean, and seemed to hint at splendor within the murky depths.  
  
Van held Hitomi. "Do you know what Orion said to me last night? He said that something is coming...he said he can feel it. He was never wrong in the past."  
  
Hitomi looked up at Van with a terrified gaze, and held his hand. But before she could say anything, she noticed that the pendant hung around his neck began to pulsate. It had not shone for fifteen years. Its color gradually intensified until it became crimson and the light beamed like fire against his pale skin. They said nothing. Hitomi simply placed her head on Van's should and cried.  
  
Van held her, and gazed blankly upon the seascape. The cold wind shivered their being, and flying sand disturbed his vision. The tide was rising, and the beating torrent could be heard crashing against the cliffs. From where Van sat, he could see straight down the precipice. Obsidian rocks spot the white foam, like bulges of hell seeded across heaven's mist.  
  
.......................................................................  
  
After two days of relaxation and enjoyment on the beach, the royal families have decided to return home to their duties. It was a clear sky on the day of their departure, though cirrus clouds were streaked across the blue. Orion packed the boat full of specialty food and souvenirs. Hermione reluctantly said farewell to her new friends.  
  
Before embarking the boat, however, Van met with Valorick and Endymion, who requested that they return to Palladium on horseback.  
  
Van frowned in consideration. "It will take you much longer to get back. You will need to stop at two cities on the way. Are you sure you want to do this?"  
  
"Yes, father. I think it's just what I need. You needn't worry about us. Our trip around Gaea was certainly more perilous. Besides, I'm sure we can find accommodations easily."  
  
Endymion smiled. "Don't worry, Uncle Van, I'll take good care of Val."  
  
Van inhaled deeply then nodded. "Well, just be careful. Contact us in case anything happens. Take two of the best horses, and don't forget your swords."  
  
Valorick and Endymion thanked him gleefully and ran off to bid the others farewell. Celena packed dry bread for them, some berries picked from the woods nearby, and rice cake wrapped in long leaves. They both took white stallions bred on the plains of Etolia, the best breed there was on Gaea. When the royal party boarded the Ocarina, Valorick and Endymion stood on shore and waved to them, before taking off into the woods beyond the Coast of Calla.  
  
They rode steadily on through the dense foliage. There were hardly any paths paved through the vast forest that spanned the entire country. Their plan was to go through Folken and Fidell before arriving at Palladium within three day. The journey was relaxing. Shade from the trees gave them cooling shelter, and the aromatic leaves soothed their weary nerves. Every few hours, they'd stop to rest and eat. And when they came upon a lake, they jumped in for a swim.  
  
They conversed as they always have, for Endymion did not ask Valorick about the soothsayer. Nothing unpleasant was mentioned. When they arrived at Folken, they stayed with an old couple in a cottage inn and made their acquaintance, though the couple never knew that the two young men were princes of Fanelia. Some travellers on the way accompanied them for a little while before taking off on their own route.  
  
In between Folken and Fidell, they came across an open field, with meadows of swaying grass and small fragrant flowers. Valorick stopped his horse and drank in the scene. "It seems so long since we've seen a wide space like this. What do you say we make the most of it and have a race?"  
  
Endymion smirked, and met up to the challenge. So the two friends raced their steeds across the plain, their bodies rushing against the wind. But when the arrived at the edge of the forest again, it became hard to stop the galloping horses, for the speed had been too great, and a sudden halt would throw the rider off. Valorick was winning the race but unable to stop, he sped ahead into the dense woods.  
  
"Val!" Endymion managed to pull the reins and called desperately after his friend.  
  
Valorick tried to stop, but having to dodge the tree branches that were nearly hitting his head, he lost grasp of the reins. Gradually, the horse slowed down. Valorick took the chance to turn back, and he saw Endymion coming after him anxiously.  
  
Just as he was about to call for Endymion, his white stallion suddenly slipped upon loose soil on the edge of a downward hill. It was as if the ground just disappeared from beneath the horse's hooves. Valorick tried to grab the reins and save both rider and horse from a calamitous fall, but it was too late. The steed fell sideways down the small hill, and Valorick was flung from its back. Brown soil and dried leaves streamed down alongside him, rapidly rushing him down to the unseen bottom concealed by trees.  
  
The last thing Valorick sensed was Endymion calling him frantically. When he fell to the bottom, his head crashed against a rock. But before he completely lost his consciousness, he saw a pillar of light falling a few feet away from where he lay bleeding. Emerging from the blinding light was a girl riding a winged horse.  
  
**End of Part IV**   
  
I know that the whole description of the trip seems somewhat rushed. I didn't really invest a lot in the development of the minor characters – hope that's all right. The main focus is still on the Fanel family.  
  
Note: the idea of the Atlantean particles and the separation of such particles come from Philip Pullman's _His Dark Materials_ trilogy. I don't know how to begin describing my absolute awe of Pullman's genius. His story, in particular the last book of the trilogy, is undoubtedly the best children's story/ fantasy I have ever read. The ending moved me to tears – it has a power that few stories, other than Escaflowne, have. I hope to visit Mr. Pullman one day, since I wish to write a thesis on his novels. For those of you who have not read his books, I strongly urge you to do so. I will also plan to write short fanfic stories based on his trilogy.


	5. Incarnation of Snow

> > I'm so happy that I'm able to keep a good pace for Book II of "Both are Infinite" – I think it's much easier for myself and the readers when there aren't huge gaps in between the chapters! It's good to keep busy. A huge THANK YOU to those who left wonderful reviews – the story could not have been possible without you! I truly appreciate the compliments you've showered me with, and hope that at the end of this story, you will be left with a feeling as beautiful as the one your words have given me!  
  
Note: Before reading this chapter, I suggest a re-reading of the last little bit of "Interlude II: The Fire Scroll," which has the diary entry of Persephone - that will touch up on her background.  
  
**V. Incarnation of Snow  
**  
_I flash and glow on Being's Brow, and my snow-cold  
Ooze is Love's life-blood,  
And I wander over the Waves of Time, where the  
World-wrack drifts in my Silver Flood.  
_  
From Sanskrit text, "Incarnation of Snow."  
  
The world became red through Valorick's eyes. He lay chest-down on the sandy soil mixed with rocks and dried grass. Blood began dyeing the ground beneath him, and all appeared crimson. Thoughts of the sunset suddenly came to him, and he trembled, as if the end was gazing at him with its starry eyes and robe of black. He tried to push himself up but his arms failed him, and he felt his legs collapse and grind against the rough earth.  
  
From the periphery of his failing vision, he could see the sunpillar retreating and leaving behind a female figure with a winged horse. Her face was blurred yet her entire being shone, like a fire in the dark grove. She settled her steed on the verdant grass and approached Valorick cautiously, with the grace of one who receives the untimely dead. He at once yearned for her to come close yet feared her. But he had no choice; as she came closer, he could smell a fragrance that wafted from her and eddied about his dying body like a promise of heaven. The last connection he felt he had with the living was the sight of Endymion sliding down the dusty hill, shouting his name.  
  
"Val! Val!" Endymion slipped over and over again on his rapid slide down the steep hill, but he ran on, and collapsed, and got up and eventually crawled to the side of his friend. "Oh, for Fanelia's sake, tell me you're all right, Val! Can you hear me? Please move just a little, so I know you're fine. I'll call for help, we'll get you back to Palladium within the day! Don't you worry, Val!" Endymion shook his friend frantically, but Valorick did not react to the tremors. He fell limp in the arms of his weeping friend. Endymion placed his ear against Valorick's chest; but there was no sound.  
  
After a few moments of catatonic sadness, Endymion let go of the body and collapsed onto the ground himself, letting his friend's blood stain his pale cheeks. He looked straight into Valorick's passive visage. "Your eyes are closed....I was hoping you'd just be asleep." He laid a hand on Valorick's shoulder and caressed it, then began dusting the dirt off Valorick's clothes. "But I supposed it's better this way. They say those who die with closed eyes have no regrets."  
  
Endymion curled up and wept. All this time, he had not noticed the young girl who knelt beside him, curiously observing his behavior. She frowned like a child then slowly tucked on Endymion's shirt.  
  
He jumped up in shock. "Val?" He looked up and saw her, "Who are you?" She tilted her head and gazed at him blankly. He scrutinized her otherworldly appearance and glanced at her strange winged horse. "What are you?"  
  
She frowned at him. "What a rude way to address a complete stranger! Have you no courtesy on this Gaea of yours?"  
  
Endymion sighed. "What do you want from me? As you can see, this is not exactly a time for social interaction."  
  
"I am simply curious: why do you weep?"  
  
"What..." Endymion looked at her incredulously and gasped. "What can you mean by that? Ma'am, I don't mean to be rude, but that is a mindless thing to say!" He paused for a second, then corrected his angry tone. "No, I'm sorry if I appear too rash. Really, I am not normally like this. But Val....he was my dearest friend. We grew up together, we went on so many adventures together. But just now, we were racing, and he....it's all my fault! I should have protected him, I promised his father! What would they do? What would I do? My best friend in the whole world is dead! Where would I ever find him again?"  
  
The girl looked at him compassionately, and wiped the blood off his face. "Death...yes, I've recently learned about that. It brings such sadness. I never understood it before, and I wish I never did. But I suppose if someone is taken away by a Firean, you can find him or her in a world of the dead. I'm certain that such a place exists."  
  
Endymion blinked and gazed at her with confusion. "What do you mean? You've never known death until recently? And how do you know about the Fireans?"  
  
"In my world, they are the agents of the dead, for death came when they arrived on Serenus. That's where I'm from, Serenus."  
  
"Oh...." Endymion did not know what say, concluding in his mind that she must have come with the pillar of light. He turned his focus back to his deceased friend and buried his face upon Valorick's back.  
  
"Please do not weep. See, in my world, before the Fireans came, there was no death, because we could revive the dead...or, only some of us could. Then we suddenly lost that power. But perhaps I could perform it here, on your friend. We could try and see if it works."  
  
Endymion looked up with hope. "Revive the dead? Do you mean resurrection? Will he come back to life and be living forever?" He gripped her by the shoulders and searched her face for hope.  
  
She gently pushed Endymion's hands off. "Yes, if that is how you wish to see it, though immortality is different issue altogether. But please, give me some room so I can breathe better and concentrate."  
  
Endymion quickly fell back, and leaned against a withered trunk. He hugged his legs anxiously and repeated in his mind every prayer he had gathered from every corner of his little world. He closed his eyes in faith, and when he opened them again, he witnessed the young girl kneeling over Valorick, her hand cupped above his heart.  
  
A light began emanating outwards from her palms. The luminous orb soon expanded into a great globe that enveloped both herself and Valorick. Very soon, Endymion could barely look upon the scene, for the light had become blinding, a radiant white tinged with golden sparks. He shielded his eyes and tries to make out her movement. From the play between shadows and light beams, it seemed that she was dancing inside the orb, dancing around the dead body like a butterfly, with her skirt held up like gossamer wings.  
  
Suddenly, the light retreated. The girl sat exhaustedly on the grass. Before Endymion could crawl back to his friend's side, he realized that the withered tree he sat beneath had suddenly begun growing leaves. Birdsong became more pronounced in the greener grove, and fawns pranced on the sun- dappled knoll. Life seemed abundant.  
  
Endymion hurriedly went to Valorick's side. In joy, he realized that his friend was breathing once again, his wounds completely healed. Endymion cried with gratitude and thanked the young girl repeatedly. She merely ignored him and bent over Valorick once again, as if wanting to be the first one whom he lays his renewed eyes upon.  
  
Time had stopped for Valorick. In his mind, just one minute again, he was upon the meadows racing with Endymion. It troubled him that as he now gradually regained consciousness, he could feel the hard ground beneath his back. But there was no pain anywhere in his body. In fact, he felt better than ever.  
  
He quickly opened his eyes, but the first thing he saw was the strange girl staring at him with her diamond-like eyes. She gazed deep into his green eyes and tried to touch his face, but he screamed and quickly got up.  
  
He went to Endymion's side. "Endy! If you weren't here, I would surely consider myself dead! Who is she? Looking upon her, I thought I was in the world of the dead!"  
  
Endymion hugged Valorick tightly. "You were dead! You fell down the hill! But this girl, this saint, she saved you with such miraculous and unknown powers that I really don't know how to begin thanking her! But I'm just glad you're back, Val! I really gave up, you know? I was resolved to go back to Palladium and tell your parents that I had watched you die."  
  
Valorick squeezed his eyes repeatedly. "I died? How can I have no memory of that? I slipped..." he looked around and saw the trail of his fall, and his horse lying limp a few feet away. "But I...So she revived me?" Endymion nodded. Valorick turned to the girl who sat straightening her glittering hair. "You saved me? By what means? Are you some sort of angelic being?"  
  
She looked up at him with a sharp glance and stood up next to him. "Why do you look at me that way? Your green eyes, they show such disbelief. Am I so strange to you?"  
  
Valorick fell back a few steps. "No...I didn't mean that, but the power to revive the dead...I thought it was only legendary. But thank you in any case. I feel obliged to show my gratitude. My name is Valorick, and this is Endymion. Please, is there something we can do for you?"  
  
"I am Persephone of Serenus." She suddenly turned her nose up haughtily at Valorick. "And yes, there is something you can do for me. You may take me to see King Van of Fanelia."  
  
Valorick and Endymion quickly looked at each other. "King Van?" Valorick asked. "What business do you have with our king?"  
  
"That is between him and me. I cannot reveal the matter to outsiders, especially not to commoners; it will only alarm your simple minds. I trust the palace cannot be far off, so please take me there, seeing as how I have just saved your life."  
  
Endymion scoffed at her sudden change of attitude but still bowed to her politely and said, "We are most happy to guide you to the palace." He then gestured her towards his horse standing at the top of the hill.  
  
Persephone began walking away. "There is no need for me to ride on your horse, for I have my own ride." She found her winged steed and began caressing it.  
  
Valorick and Endymion circled the strange creature curiously. It exuded radiance as beautiful as Persephone's own, and its great white vans sparkled against its smooth ivory back. "This is no ordinary horse," Valorick said, "It has wings."  
  
"It isn't a horse," she announced as she got on its bare white back. "It is a Pegasus. It can fly between worlds. But of course, since you are to guide me, I will ride it like a regular horse, and conceal its wings."  
  
The two young men confusedly acknowledged her explanation, then found a detour up the hill and to Endymion's horse. Thus their journey to Palladium continued. They did not stop riding for the rest of the day, yet Persephone never seemed to tire. She always kept a perfect posture upon the shining back of her white steed and she constantly gazed deep into the path forward, never once turning to talk to the riders beside her.  
  
After nightfall, Endymion was tired and they stopped for a brief break. They made a fire near a large oak, and prepared bedding out of dry leaves and sweet scented grass. Valorick picked berries for them to eat. As he sat cleaning the fruit with water, he sensed that Persephone had been looking at him. When he dashed a glance at her, she quickly averted her gaze and lay down upon to rest near her Pegasus.  
  
Persephone covered herself with a blanket and tried to sleep. But in her mind, there was a loud unrest, incessantly hammering in the caves of memory. His green eyes look so familiar somehow, as if she had once gazed deep into them. But that cannot be, she thought to herself, for she scarcely looked at him for more than a few seconds at a time. She shuffled uncomfortably, and then began humming a tune to herself. Corsaire, her childhood companion, had often sang it to her when they went out to watch the moonlings...She missed him, and fell asleep imagining that they can meet again on the verdant meadows of Vale Cordium.  
  
Endymion came up to Valorick sitting by the fire, and told him of the occurrences of the day, including the sunpillar that brought Persephone and her astounding power to bring back the dead.  
  
"A sunpillar?" Valorick gasped and dropped the cup he was holding. "That's just like in the stories our parents have told us."  
  
"Exactly my thought! Except none of us have ever seen a real sunpillar, until today that is."  
  
"That is strange...I wonder how such a phenomenon is caused in nature." He began whispering, "But she's not from Earth, not like my mother."  
  
"No, she said she is from a world called Serenus."  
  
"Serenus...that is certainly not in our knowledge of the universe. But there is no doubt that she is not of this world. That winged steed hers could not possibly exist on Gaea. And her powers...only shamans in legendary places, or angels and gods, have been known to revive the dead. But she is living and breathing. I can't understand it." He sighed.  
  
"This can only mean that she is a new kind of being, one we have never seen before. She said that where she comes from, resurrecting the dead is an ordinary power. That is, they had the power till the Fireans came – yes, I forgot to tell you, she knows of the Fireans!"  
  
"What?" Valorick nearly shouted.  
  
"She...she said they attacked her world and brought death with them."  
  
"Fireans...do you supposed she means the same race of fierce Atlantean warriors that our parents once battled? But I thought..." Valorick lay down and covered his eyes in weariness. "I thought all those were just stories..."  
  
"So did I, but we have no way of knowing for certain until we return to Palladium. Perhaps what they have told us all these years has been the truth, and only Hermione has believed them."  
  
"Yes...that is what I fear." With that, the two young men fell asleep uneasily, letting the fire die into the moist night.  
  
In the morning, they set out early. The trees beside their path gradually became sparser, indicating that they were nearing the edge of the forest. When they finally emerged into the open fields that outline Fidell, they once again felt the singeing heat of the intolerable sun. While Valorick and Endymion perspired and panted in the sun, Persephone sat poised and relaxed. The heat seemed to have no effect on her; she stayed, as it were, in an invisible globe of snow and wind all her own, so that whatever crimson sand flew around in the outside world, she remained cool and glistening in her blue-white orb.  
  
They took an indirect route through Fidell to Palladium, so as to not attract attention from the citizens. Valorick had not revealed his identity to her and plan not to do so until they have reached the castle. It was well pass noon when they finally arrived, exhausted and famished from their ride. Persephone said nothing and proceeded by herself up the steps to the palace gate. Valorick and Endymion followed her behind.  
  
When she has almost reached the top of the stairs, she turned abruptly to Valorick and glared at him. "Why are you following me? You have led me to the palace, and for that, I thank you. Now you may leave. I'm sure you have chores to attend to."  
  
Valorick chuckled slightly. "Milady, I am most certainly not following you! And might I suggest that you show a little sincerity when you express your gratitude. I know for myself that I do not have one drop of dishonesty towards you for your having saved my life."  
  
"Well," she tried to compose herself. "I do not mean to be ungrateful. I merely feel that I have exhausted your company."  
  
"Is that so? Well, I am sorry to disappoint you, but I happen to live here. So you see, I am not following you, I am merely trying to return to my own room." He walked pass her and approached the door.  
  
She gaped. "You live here? Who are you? The king?"  
  
He turned and looked at her. "No, but I am his son." Endymion chuckled slightly at the sight of Persephone's shocked face.  
  
She ran after him incredulously, only in time to hear the royal guards address him.  
  
"Prince Valorick, we welcome your return! The Queen has been waiting to see you." The guard gestured towards Persephone. "And this lady is..."  
  
"Oh yes, she is here to see my father. Please show her in."  
  
"Most certainly, Your Highness." After that, Valorick picked up his bag and casually walked across the palace yard. Endymion ran after him, and they both turned to look at Persephone staring at them, red and frustrated, stomping after the guard into the palace. The two boys laughed and roamed through the royal garden before going up to the living quarters.  
  
Valorick ran into the library and found his mother standing on a ladder, reaching for a book. When Hitomi saw him, she quickly came down and embraced him.  
  
"Val! I'm so happy to see you back!" She made him turn around in a circle. "Oh good, you don't look hurt at all! I was so worried, especially after what has happened in Aleph, I was worried that something bad was going to happen to you. It wasn't a vision of anything, just a mother's anxiety. Your father kept telling me to relax, but I just couldn't help it. I remember when I was little, and my grandmother..."  
  
Valorick cut her off and hugged her. "Mom! Relax! I'm fine and I'm back home. However, there is something I must tell you. Here, you should sit down..." He then went on to tell her of his journey.  
  
When Hitomi heard of his encounter with death, she wept and wanted to go tell Van immediately, before Valorick pulled her back and told her of Persephone. Hitomi sat back down and pondered solemnly. "She's from Serenus? We've never met anyone who could revive the dead when we were on Serenus. Though it is true that they had no knowledge of death. But the Fireans came, she said? And the pillar of light...this does not bode well, I don't have a good feeling. Quick, go tell your father to meet me in the throne room; I suspect she is waiting for us there. Your father is in the arboretum I believe." Hitomi swiftly cleaned her workspace then pushed Valorick out the door before walking briskly down the hall herself.  
  
Valorick watched his mother's shadow retreat. Anxiety suddenly filled him. He became aware of the possibility that his miraculous resurrection may be prelude to something greater than death. He knew that his mother felt the same fear.  
  
After informing his father of the situation, Valorick went to his own quarters and took a shower. Down in the music room, a plaintive song was playing. Valorick followed the melody and found Hermione at the piano, with Endymion beside her, turning the pages. King Allen had commissioned the building of the music room upon the reconstruction of the Fanelian castle some fifteen years ago. It bears an Asturian design, with a large stained glass window, luxurious couches, rich carpets from Etolia, and Hermione's much-cherished screen decked with diamonds. The grand piano rests on the opposite of the entrance, next to a relaxing sitting area, with bookcases. By the large doors that lead to the balcony, there is a great harp, the gold of its arch glistening in the setting sun.  
  
Valorick walked in slowly and saw that Amadis had remained behind in Fanelia while his parents have returned home. Amadis rolled his eyes at Valorick and continued to read his book. After finishing the song, Hermione began to whine.  
  
"It is past dinner time! When are they ever going to call us in for dinner?" She pouted and slammed the piano shut.  
  
"Why aren't we at dinner?" Valorick asked.  
  
"It is because your parents are still speaking to Persephone," Endymion explained. "My father is in there as well. I don't think we are supposed to dine without them."  
  
Hermione grunted. "I don't care! They can just eat afterwards when they are done! I am going to find something to eat!" Immediately, she ran off to the kitchen. Endymion reluctantly followed her. Valorick remained in thought, and sat down by the piano. Amadis sneered at him.  
  
"So," Amadis said, "Endy tells me that you've met a girl on the way. Is she attractive? Tell me the truth...you know how plain these Fanelian girls are, I can't afford to be this lonely for too long!"  
  
Valorick glared at Amadis then walked out the door, hearing his shouts from behind. The further away he walked from the music room, the quieter it became. When he arrived at the throne room, it was silence from behind the doors. He slowly entered and felt the icy air breathe upon him. It was Persephone's presence.  
  
The throne room was the single largest space in the palace. It consists of a long rectangular hall supported by thirty marble pillars. The throne sits upon a platform, at the opposite end from the entrance, and on either side are chairs for royalty and council. On the right side of the room is a row of large windows, specially requested by Van to let in more light. Opposite the windows there runs an interior stream that is channelled from the brook in the garden.  
  
When Valorick entered the room, all he could hear was the trickling of the little river. He walked closer to the throne, and saw that his father was slouched upon it, his face buried in his hands. Orion sat on the ground next to the throne, gazing upon the young girl who knelt crying on the ground. Hitomi knelt beside her, comforting her, combing her hair. No one seemed to acknowledge Valorick's entrance. He noiselessly sat down on one of the council's chairs and awaited a word.  
  
After a long while, Van heaved a loud sigh and cleared his throat. "Persephone," he sounded hoarse and old. "We understand your pain. Believe me, we do. We've all lost our parents as well. Your father was a great friend to us, and had he not given you that ring, you might never have found your way here. You have been courageous and greathearted, as our dear Cyprus Varon was before you. But you must realize that....I cannot teach you the art of war as you have requested!"  
  
She convulsed and wept tremulously. "Oh but King Van, I beg of you! You must teach me the means of defending my homeland! On Serenus, we know nothing of such defence. To use violence against violence...that is inconceivable to us!"  
  
"That is precisely why I cannot teach you to fight, Persephone! I simply cannot hand you a sword and tell you to kill, that would ruin everything that you are!" Van shook his head and walked towards the window.  
  
Orion approached Persephone and patted her on the shoulder. "You must understand that we have struggled hard to rid ourselves of war. I tell ya, if you've seen the blood shed on battlefields, you'd know what I mean! Whew....gives you nightmares for years and years! It's all just too messy, so trust me, you don't want to deal with it!"  
  
"But I have already seen the blood, the blood of my people dying! Our valley is gone, the valley that you've lived in, King Van. It is no longer green and beautiful. All the creatures have gone, and the draconians have left, I don't know why. They didn't defend us...and the Numen has been lost for a long time, even before the Fireans came..." she sobbed in Hitomi's arms.  
  
Orion sighed. "Yes, well, the Numen is never there when you need him!"  
  
Van let out a small yell. "For Gaea's sake! Why is this happening? Persephone, you do know that even if you learn how to fight, your homeland is probably going to be destroyed in any case! And then you are going to wander the world, consumed by revenge, but helpless against fate!"  
  
Orion tried to appease Van. "Ok, let's not go down that memory lane. I know what you're feeling right now, Van," he whispered. "Perhaps we should just deal with this slowly. Let her stay, let her learn what fighting is like, then perhaps she'll change her mind of her own accord."  
  
Van sighed then nodded. He walked to Persephone's side. "The Fireans are a fierce group, even I might not stand a chance against them. But I know how you feel, Persephone, I too once lost my home and my family. So, I am going to let you stay in Fanelia for a short while. Everyday, Orion practices with the soldiers, we all practice, for security's sake. You are free to watch; perhaps then you will understand why I do not wish for anymore battles."  
  
Persephone smiled through her tears. "Thank you, thank you, King Van. I will learn, even if just by watching. I'm half-draconian too, so I know I can attain what I have journeyed so far to learn."  
  
"Yes, well, we will wait and see how the situation develops. Trillius!" Van called in Nestor's nephew. "Please show this lady to the guest quarters, and give her every convenience she requires."  
  
The young royal advisor swiftly came over and helped Persephone up from the ground, and escorted her from the hall. Valorick felt it incumbent upon him to follow and look after her, but his father asked him to stay.  
  
Van slumped down on the throne. "I fear that the unsettling incident with the soothsayer at Aleph is but the catalyst in a series of...increasingly mysterious events."  
  
"Yes..." Hitomi sat down beside him. "And it would seem that the past is returning."  
  
"Vannius," Van murmured the name to himself then he turned to Valorick, who was still staring at the closed gate, as if Persephone still stood there. "Val, you do know that those stories we told you about Escaflowne are not fiction?"  
  
Valorick turned around suddenly and hesitated for a bit. "To be quite frank, dad, I've always had my suspicions, but the recent occurrences have moved me to belief. It's every child's dream to have parents who have endured great and strange adventures...Hermione certainly believes you. But I did not want to appear like a conventional child, so I did not believe."  
  
Van laughed. "That is a rather bizarre logic! But yes....all those things are truths. Escaflowne once existed, so did Atlantis, and the Mystic Moon, Aleph, the Fireans, Serenus, some still exist."  
  
Orion suddenly whistled. "That Persephone! Icy cold for a shepherdess, won't you agree? Was her mother that bad? I don't recall ever meeting her."  
  
"Seraphine was very beautiful," Hitomi said, remembering how Seraphine was once the lover of Vannius.  
  
Valorick was dumbfounded. "Seraphine? Wasn't she the draconian whom you encountered on Serenus? She's Persephone's mother?"  
  
"Yes. We find it hard to believe too," Hitomi said. "We thought that after Seraphine saw us on Gaea for the last time, she returned to Athlon as she said she would. She wanted to die there...but I guess somehow she ended up on Serenus, and married Cyprus Varon. Then she passed away, and Persephone grew up with her father."  
  
Valorick continued. "Then the Fireans came and destroyed her homeland. She is an orphan now...and she journeyed all this way with the hope of finding help."  
  
"But we cannot give her the help she needs!" Van clamoured. "I feel compassion for her just as you do, but I cannot teach her the art of war! Have you looked at her closely? Have you looked into her eyes? It would be like teaching Hermione how to use a sword, I just can't!"  
  
Valorick was silent. He knew exactly what his father meant. He had looked into her gleaming eyes, and he saw there, something impeachable and singular, like the last member of a dying race that must be protected at all costs.  
  
Van went on. "And the Fireans! I thought we had gotten rid of them! The people of Serenus do not stand a chance against them! Orion, you know it as well as I do!"  
  
"Yes, I know!" Orion yelled back. "All I was trying to say is that perhaps we shouldn't be too quick to send her back with empty hands. She's obviously connected to us somehow, for who else but us has had a history with the Fireans? Besides, her father gave you hospitality, so it is only fair that you return that favor and take care of his daughter for a while."  
  
"Let's not forget," Van said. "The return of the Fireans means the return of Branimir. Persephone said she has only heard of him, but no one has ever seen him. Where is he?"  
  
The room died into silence. Hitomi trembled, but Van remained nonchalant. As soon as he heard the name Vannius uttered by the soothsayer in Aleph, he knew Branimir has returned.  
  
Orion yawned and broke the deathly stillness. "Ah well...Val, you should entertain this Persephone during her stay here. After all, she did save your life. All the more reason that we should let her stay, right, Van?" Orion smirked.  
  
Van sat up and looked at Valorick. "That's right! She revived you from death! I had nearly forgotten," Van gulped. "It's just...what happened?"  
  
"She appeared out of the pillar of light just as I fell down the cliff. Then I was unconscious. The exact process of the resurrection was unclear to me, but Endy described it as a great globe of light that came out from her hands and embraced me. When the light receded, I was alive again. He was certain that I was dead before."  
  
"Oh Val," Hitomi sighed. "If it hadn't been for her...I don't want to imagine what would have happened."  
  
"The important thing is that you are now alive and well!" Van closed his eyes for a second. "But this power..."  
  
Valorick interrupted. "Oh yes, she not only reanimated me, but seems to have made me even more healthy, because look," he pulled down his shirt. "The scar on my shoulder is gone, the scar that Griffon gave me."  
  
Hitomi looked at Van, then he sighed. "Great Gaea, this reminds me that we were supposed to visit Griffon tomorrow. Perhaps we should postpone it until anxiety over Persephone's situation has abated?" Hitomi nodded. "Val, why don't you go tell Nestor to change the schedule for us?"  
  
Valorick nodded then headed for the door. As soon as he left, Van whispered to Hitomi and Orion. "This mysterious power to revive the dead, what do you know about it?"  
  
Hitomi pondered for a bit. "On Earth, it is a miracle recorded in religious texts. Some people claim to have returned from the land of the dead, though such accounts are suspicious. It is generally believed that only those endowed with divine or magical powers can oppose the scythe of death."  
  
"What about on Gaea?" Van asked.  
  
"Well," Orion scratched his head. "I have heard that certain tribes in Etolia are able to perform resurrection rites, but I think they mean that spiritually or metaphorically."  
  
Van leaned back and crossed his arm. "Well, I'll tell you what I know. It has been documented that a select group of Atlanteans had such powers. They garnered the energy of the pendant's crystal and used it to animate dead beings. However, not every Atlantean had this power, I suspect only what we know as Aeons have this power. Or maybe only pure-blooded Atlanteans."  
  
"Hmm...intriguing," Orion said. "You and I are half-draconians, and we certainly can't revive the dead!  
  
"Cyprus wasn't draconian, was he?" Hitomi asked.  
  
"No," Van confirmed. "This can only mean that Persephone cannot possibly be his child. If her mother is Seraphine, that would mean her real father would have to be an Atlantean as well in order for her to have such powers."  
  
"I don't think she knows," Hitomi said. "Somehow, when she was explaining her ability, she seemed to think that others on Serenus had the same power too. She knows so little of death...She said others had the power too, she must have meant the draconians, probably Aleph himself."  
  
"Oh yes, where is that wrinkly old man?" Orion asked.  
  
Van sighed. "I pray that Aleph has nothing to do with this. Every time he appears, something odd happens. But you're right, I don't think Persephone has a clue. She is not lying. She simply does not know that Cyprus is not her father. We must observe her for a while, perhaps we will find an answer eventually."  
  
"Oh!" Orion suddenly exclaimed. "Let's not forget! Who else is Seraphine's child?"  
  
Van and Hitomi looked at each other in silence for while. "Amadis..." Van said. "He is Branimir's son." Van became sullen.  
  
"But we don't know that for certain," Hitomi held his hand. "Come now, Van, we've watched Amadis grow up. No doubt he is a menace at times, but Allen and Millerna love him and whatever dark blood he might have had was certainly transformed by their love. If he is indeed Seraphine's son, then remember her kindness, perhaps he has that within him as well."  
  
Van turned away. "There is no certainty in such matters. Orion, do you think that Amadis is really the reincarnated son of Branimir and Seraphine?"  
  
"Well...with all these people reincarnating all over the place, there's definitely a possibility. Besides, him having landed in Fanelia can't be just coincidence. When has a pillar of light ever been coincidence? Perhaps there is a reason that he was brought to us, we just don't know that reason yet."  
  
Van shrugged and began to walk towards the door. "So he is potentially Persephone's half sibling. I suppose I should write to Allen and inform him of the situation. Though of course," he turned to face Orion. "I won't tell him about Amadis's past. It is not time yet."  
  
The meeting being over, Orion ran to the dining hall, leaving Van and Hitomi alone in the darkening throne chamber. Van put his arm around her, and they slowly walked towards the door.  
  
"Van...Do you think everything will be as they used to be? I mean...like during the Destiny War?"  
  
"My love, I really don't know, and I don't really want to think about it either. Somehow I knew that the whole conflict with Branimir was never over. I've been expecting to hear his name again. I just did not think that it would be from a girl who came all the way from Serenus."  
  
"Why do you think the Fireans attacked Serenus?"  
  
"That's what troubles me...Serenus is a peaceful world, the inhabitants hardly qualify as fighters, the Fireans would not have found them to be worthy opponents. This means...they must have had a special purpose. Or maybe there was someone on Serenus that Branimir wanted."  
  
Hitomi winced. "Could that someone be Persephone?"  
  
"What would he want with her? Well, she is Seraphine's daughter...or maybe she is his as well, just like Amadis..." Van sighed and pushed open the heavy door of the throne room.  
  
"There is always a possibility. As we have learned, it seems that the whole universe is filled with inconceivable possibilities."  
  
Van kissed Hitomi and ruffled her hair. "Let's forget about this matter for just a few hours. What do you say we go to the woods and explore nature a bit?" he winked at her.  
  
Hitomi laughed. "You silly boy! You're never going to grow up! You're a father! What if Val runs into us?"  
  
"Yes, I am a father, but that does not mean I cease to be a man, now does it? Besides, Val is growing up, he's not so childish as we would like to pretend."  
  
Hitomi pushed him away playfully and ran down the stairs. Van chased after her, laughing and stumbling, until they came upon the Nipponese garden he built for her, a memory of Earth seated on the Fanelian soil. The trees swayed in the high wind, and beyond the susurrus was the quiet movement of gathering clouds. Yet meanwhile, on the soft verdure of the dell, the two beautiful beings intermingled in a joy that seemed to know no sublunary transience. But the moon affects everything, and even the greatest of tides must give way to its haunting influence  
  
_End of Part V_


	6. Upon the Summit

**VI. Upon the Summit**

The peak of clouds

Have crumbled into fragments –

The moonlit mountain.

Basho

From the library balcony overlooking the Nipponese garden, Celena observed Van and Hitomi. They walked around hand in hand and went inside the rotunda. The large umbrella roof of the wooden structure lent a slim view of Hitomi leaning her head upon Van's broad shoulder. Celena smiled.

Behind her, in the library, Orion stumped in with a huge sack of fruits in his hand. "There you are!"

Celena beckoned him to the balcony. "Look at how happy they are…Van hasn't smiled ever since the incident in Aleph. Sometimes I think that the reason why the Fanelian court is free from political conspiracy and intrigue is because of them."

Orion hugged her from behind. "How so?"

"Well, people hate, fight, concoct schemes, and thirst for power, all because they do not have love. A palace can be so lonely…that's what Chid told me. He said that in misery and loneliness, people will do anything to get out; they will devote themselves to evil because there is nothing else there to devote to. He said that was what happened with certain lords in his court. I was so worried about him when he said that, but I believe with this young lady he has met, his sense of helplessness has been alleviated."

Orion grinned, "When I was little, I used to always gaze at the palace from the hills, and I imagined that it was full of happiness, eternally gleaming, but it was only after I knew Van that I came to understand how nothing can be that simple. Look at them now! That's how it's supposed to be for all times…but it can't…" he suddenly became sullen.

"Why do you say that, sweetie?"

Orion was silent. Celena turned around and looked at him in the eyes; she ran her hand across his brow bone down to his cheeks. "It's just this look, this sadness. I remember when I first took a good look at Van; it was just before he nearly killed me, and my brother intercepted. There was such rage in him, and I was trembling with fear, but for just a second, I think I understood his pain. I connected with Van, and perhaps it was the feeling that called me back to my brother. I've felt that pain all my life…the pain of impermanence."

Orion hugged Celena tighter. "My love, I fear that even we must face the day when Eternity and Time clash."

Below, Van and Hitomi still sat in the rotunda. Looking pass the short shrubs in the garden, Van could steal a view of the Fanelian Valley, seemingly unchanged for the past fifteen years. But beneath the surface solidity, he knew there was something stirring, like the rain clouds rolling in to alleviate the drought, and perhaps to bring a deluge. It was as if he could feel lava flowing under the rocks he stood upon.

"Hitomi, do you remember the Mind Machine?"

"Yeah, it uses the separation of a binary Atlantis particle to create enormous energy."

"I will see to it that it is never made. I hope that we will never be like that particle. These particles flow all around us, we can't see them, but sometimes I think I can feel them. Like now, I feel them streaming around us. They seem to flourish whenever I'm with you."

Van held Hitomi closer to him, and inhaled the fragrance of her hair. For some unknown reason, the aroma invoked a bizarre image he had never seen before. He expected her scent to remind him of their ventures together, their marriage, their pain, but instead, what he saw was a nebulous cluster of bright points clad against an immense darkness, like stars in the night sky, except denser and more alive. Van confusedly closed his eyes and tried to rest.

Hitomi suddenly awoke and gasped. "Van…Did you see that?"

"What's wrong? See what?"

She frantically gripped his shoulders. "I saw it, I saw something! I haven't had my visionary power for fifteen years! It's impossible, it's impossible! Did you see it?"

Van caressed her. "Hitomi, calm down, tell me slowly what you saw."

"It was so blurry, I'm not even really sure…There was a triangle, yes, with a flame in the middle, and there were lights everywhere, but there was also darkness. I felt like there were living beings there too, but I couldn't see them. Things were coming out from the central flame, but I couldn't see those either."

Van frowned. "That…sounds like something I sensed just now. Except, mine was more like a cluster of stars in the night sky."

"Yes!" she exclaimed. "Just like that! You saw the same thing then! And it seems familiar to me somehow, I think I must have seen it on Earth during my studies in Greece…I must go find a picture of it!" She thus sprang up, ready to run into the palace.

"Wait!" Van pulled her arm and detained her. "Hitomi, calm down…"

She walked slowly back to his side, but rapidly ripped open the shirt she had made for him. Hanging against his chest was the crystalline pendant, faintly radiating a roseate light.

"Look, Van, the pendant…it's glowing."

Van stared at her incredulously, then put his hand on the pendant without looking. He quickly pulled off his hand as if it were burned. He looked down slowly. "What? Why? It has not glowed since we were in the prison of Basram, fifteen years ago!"

The wind lifted the limp hair off Hitomi's forehead, and she saw all the more clearly the increasing greyness of the garden. "My visions, the pendant, fifteen years, has it all come back to haunt us?"

Van held her. "Don't worry, my love, it'll all be okay. Remember that we've surmounted greater fears and dangers. Even if Branimir has returned, and the Fireans are coming, I have courage to face them once again."

She looked up at him and wiped away the single tear that was on his cheek. "Oh Van, you don't have to say things like that to comfort me. How can I not know you after all these years? We both know that it is coming, whatever it might be. I should go in to the library now, I want to do some research about the vision."

She got up, and Van called after her. "Hitomi, I…"

"Don't say it, Van, it is not your choice. There is no permanence." With those last words, she stepped out of the rotunda. She looked up at the sky, and held her hand up, "Look, it's beginning to rain."

…………………………………………………………

For the rest of the day, Hitomi buried herself in the library, and Van remained in his room. Rain fell on Fanelia. The citizens rejoiced as the heat abated and water once again irrigated the dry fields. In the palace garden, the children ran out to receive the refreshing shower. Hermione and Endymion circled around a fountain and threw rocks into the water. Droplets ricocheted everywhere, seeming to fill whatever gaps of air that supported life.

Amadis stormed out yelling, waving a branch in his hand and chasing Hermione around. When Persephone came out, daintily holding her face up to receive the falling rain, Amadis aggressively hit her across the leg with his branch. In retaliation, she began throwing stones at him. Turmoil started as all four youths rampaged across the garden, stumbling over bushes, splattering water, and slipping on mud.

Valorick stood on the doorstep, looking out at them. He laughed as he saw Hermione trying desperately to tag Endymion, or Amadis nearly choking on rain. Yet when his gaze fell on Persephone, who persisted in chasing Amadis, his smile faded into confusion. He felt an inexplicable anxiety when he looked at her. In the throne room, when she cried, he ached, like remembering a horrifying event. As he watched her run and glisten in the rain, he felt all the more her oozing coldness, bleeding into the bitter wind.

However, he could not help but find her beautiful. There was beauty in Fanelia, in the form of prettily attired girls who giggled and bowed to him in shyness; but there was no beauty of her kind. Hers was a loveliness that defied expression and hymns, and he was convinced that not even the greatest poet on Gaea could capture her in words. She was thus impregnable to him, ravishing precisely because it pained him to look upon her.

Valorick did not forget that Persephone had saved his life. Everyone witnessed her miraculous power on the following week during a sword training session. Upon Van's request, Allen had hurried from Asturia to meet the mysterious girl. When he arrived, Van had been practicing with Orion near the temple. After Van explained the situation, Persephone was summoned.

Allen looked at Van amazedly. "If she can revive the dead, would that mean that she can heal herself?"

"We don't know. There is a possibility. Perhaps she is impervious to harm. Over the past week, she has been watching us practice, and has wielded a sword on her own. So far, she has not been hurt."

Orion laughed. "That girl has talent, I'll tell you that much! Some of those young soldiers would not last long with her. But to say that she cannot be cut by a sword…. that's a little farfetched."

Allen pondered for a while. "Hmm…there is only one way to find out. Van, let me duel with her."

"No!" Van refused right away. "We cannot be responsible for her learning the way to kill! I've only allowed her to watch. Without actual battle experience, I doubt she's really be able to fight anyways!"

"Yes, but you cannot keep her like this forever! She will want to return to her home with the knowledge that she has come here to seek…you cannot deny her that, Van, especially not since you were pretty much the same way when you were young."

Van glared at Allen. "Do you always have to bring that up? In any case, we cannot be rash!"

Allen sighed. "This is just all too odd. We have to prove one way or another whether or not she is a pure bred Atlantean like you say. If she is, then she could be advantageous to us."

"Advantageous? Are you insane, Allen? She's connected to the Fireans! I know you don't believe me about this ancient grudge and a past that you somehow can't remember, but you must understand that these are fierce enemies we're dealing with! We cannot just fight head-on like we always have."

Just as Allen was about to retaliate, Celena came in with Persephone behind her. The latter remain composed and poised, bowing to the kings and seated herself against the wall. Valorick and Endymion slowly entered the room and observed in silence.

Allen came forward and greeted her. "I have heard of your miraculous skills, Miss Persephone. Is it true that you can resurrect the dead?" she nodded. "Can you be harmed physically, for example, in a fight?"

"Your Majesty, my people knew of no illness or death before the arrival of the Fireans. While others have lost their healing abilities, I for some reason have regained mine upon landing in Gaea. There is reason to believe that I can still escape whatever physical damage directed towards me."

Van stepped forth and grabbed Allen. "You can't do this! I know what you are going to ask, and I won't let you! Allen, don't ruin her!"

Persephone stood up. "King Van, if there is anyone willing to duel with me, for the sake of understanding the limits of my healing capabilities, then I am willing. I know you do not wish for me to kill, but as you've said, I must understand the nature of war if I am to change my mind. How can I understand war if I have never fought?"

Van looked at her confusedly. She had not the belligerence he himself possessed in his youth, nor was she ignorant of others' suffering. He thought perhaps it really was because she never felt the power of the sword that she was perplexed by the violence of the Fireans. Thus Van loosened his grip on Allen and nodded.

Allen gave Persephone his arm and led her to the edge of the duelling arena. "To know the horror of war," he said, "Is to be one who is within it."

Persephone laughed. "Forgive me, Your Majesty, but by your logic, Lord Branimir would be knowledgeable, for it is he who has created wars. There has to be a difference between inflicting harm and defending oneself."

"Yes, of course there is. Sometimes the line between the two blurs, so you must always keep your mind clear. In our case, we're giving you knowledge of swordsmanship, with the hope that you will use it for self-defence only."

"I won't let you down, milord. Let us begin."

Allen looked over at Van, who stared at the ground, still puffing, but acquiescent enough. Orion came forth and beckoned his soldiers to prepare the arena. Persephone was clad with an armour and Orion offered up his own sword to her.

The gong announced the commencement of the fight. Allen, the former Knight Caeli, summoned all his learned swordsmanship. He held his left hand firmly on the scaffold and his right on the golden hilt. His body was crouched low, intent on an imminent attack. He did not mean to hurt her, but just one small cut, he thought. As he circled around Persephone, she seems perfectly composed. She has closed her eyes, her hands peacefully by her side, seemingly unprepared for battle. When Allen stood behind her, his eyes suddenly widened, and he drew his sword at lightning speed, aiming for her shoulder. A clash of steel resounded in the hall.

"Impossible…" Allen whispered to himself. The spectators gasped.

Van was bewildered. "Allen used that strike on me once, I never could block it. No one could….how did she…How can she move that fast?"

The fight continued, with swords sparking fire in the moist air. At this point, Valorick came in and stood by the wall. In his eyes, each movement and stance Persephone made was poised in such a way as to transform the aggressiveness of the fight into a dance. He secretly wished in his heart that she would win the duel, and remain unharmed.

Suddenly, Allen hissed and fell onto the ground. Everyone rushed to his side. "Brother!" Celena said. "What's wrong? Are you hurt?"

Allen dropped his sword, and pressed his hand on his chest. When he removed his hand, a deluge of blood came out. "I don't know how this happened…It's like when I first fought you, Van."

"Don't talk, that's a pretty bad cut. We'll get the healer for you."

"Wait!" Persephone shouted. Everyone turned around to behold the young girl, sword in hand, with a small speck of blood on her golden tresses. "Allow me."

A path was made for her. She knelt down beside the wounded Allen, and lay him down on the ground. "Your Majesty, please do not worry, I can make it all better." Then, she began a song, sung in a foreign tongue, with the enchantment of a faraway land. Allen was pacified, and gradually began to close his eyes. Persephone, still humming the ditty, folded her hands like small wings over his wound, and suddenly, a light emerged from her palms. It was a white radiance spangled with soft yellow rays, and beneath its influence, the red of the blood retreated. Valorick then knew that that was how she had revived him back in the woods.

When the healing had completed, Persephone fell back in exhaustion. Everyone rushed to Allen's side, and saw that he was not only fully recovered, but resting peacefully. They turned to Persephone, who sat with a tired, and almost frightened expression on her wan face. Their gaze had been one of amazement and horror. The duel has indeed proved her ability to evade harm and reverse harm, yet this evidence has alienated her. Disbelief faded, and she was proven to be a strange creature from a distant world.

After a long silence, Celena said, "Miss Persephone, I am most grateful that you've healed my brother. Perhaps I should take him to his room now." Attendants consequently helped Celena move Allen, and most of the spectators left with them. Van, Orion and Valorick remained with Persephone.

She got up and sheathed the sword. As she handed it back to Orion, she bowed and looked up at him, as if she expected a word of kindness from him. But Orion knew that it was not his turn to express an opinion. Despaired, Persephone turned to leave.

Van stopped her. "Persephone, I know you did not learn that power from your father. He was not a draconian. You may not know this, but only a pure bred Atlantean has the power to revive the dead. With your demonstration today, I cannot help but feel suspicion towards your identity. Has it ever occurred to you that Cyprus might not be your real father?"

Persephone froze. Uncertainty had been an alien emotion to her before. She could not fathom how it was that a stranger could have greater insight into the darkness of her life as she herself did. Her identity was once a crystalline thing, consisting of little more than being a shepherdess of the green valley, whose destiny revolved around the shimmering water and the melodious moonlings. But ever since the darkness fell, her name alone seemed to have withstood the spectres of doubt. Standing there in the Fanelian court, immeasurable miles from her birthplace, she suddenly felt in such dire need of compassion. Van's comment had been taken as scorn, and she had not the means to confront him.

Persephone ran out without looking back, speeding pass Valorick who stood looking at her shadow retreating down the hall. Van sighed and left with Orion. Valorick remained alone in the empty temple. A bewildering pang overwhelmed him, as if it had been him who was cut above the heart. He wandered the room, then came upon the centre of the arena and looked up. There was a vast empty space at the dome, where Escaflowne was supposedly stored before his father had resurrected it. It was said that once the guymelef was reawakened, its energist would beat in unison with the heart of its pilot, and the fate of the two would therefore be intertwined. Persephone had resurrected me, Valorick thought, so could this painful beating of my heart…could it be because of her?

Without another thought, Valorick ran down the hall and began searching for her. She was not in her room, and no one seemed to recall where they had last seen her. His strength was not exhausted and he went so far as to search for her in the vicinity of the castle. The rain poured bountifully from the evening sky, and clouds obscured the sunset. Drenched and exasperated, Valorick finally sat down in the rotunda of the Nipponese garden. Panting, he cupped some raindrops from the leaves onto his hands and drank. Once his rapid breathing abated, he sat calmly listening to the rain beating upon the roof. But besides that watery drumming, he also heard another sound. It was faint, and human.

He got out of the rotunda, and tried to follow the sound. It led him to a nearby bush. He inspected it carefully, and then saw a little hole in the shrubs he had never seen before. The sound was much clearer; it sounded like someone crying. He hesitated then knelt down on the wet soil and crawled into the hole. It developed into a tunnel inside the bushes and finally came to a clearing. He got up and tried in vain to get rid of the mud. He found himself standing in a tiny secluded dell closed in by massive trees, with no exit or entrance save the little tunnel through the shrubs. There, crouching by a hole in the tree, was Persephone.

The sound he heard had been her weeping. She did not seem to have noticed his arrival, so he quietly went over and crouched down beside her.

She was startled. "Prince Valorick!" she quickly wiped away her tears. "How…how did you know this place? What are you doing here?"

Valorick laid a hand on her shoulder. "To tell the truth, I don't know this place, despite having lived here all my life. I heard you crying so I crawled in, at a little expense," he gestured at his muddied clothes, and then noticed that hers, conversely, was clean.

Persephone laughed a little. "I'm sorry you had to go through all that trouble, Your Highness. I'm just being silly."

"Miss Persephone, you know that you needn't address me so informally. We're around the same age, so it doesn't matter if you just call me by my name."

"Oh," she inched a bit away from him. "I…you see, I'm still rather embarrassed that I had treated you in that matter upon my arrival in Gaea. I had called you….a commoner."

Valorick laughed. "So? That's not a big deal. I often go into the city, and I actually prefer it when people treat me as one of them. My father taught us that it is never wise to use one's status to intimidate or hurt others."

"Yes, your father is a wise king. I just wish I had your magnanimity. Sometimes I just feel so above others, maybe it is because of my mysterious powers. After we've understood the idea of hierarchy on other worlds, I've also understood that I'm just a shepherd's daughter, which means I have no reason to be proud. Or maybe, it is like your father says….I am not my father's child. You have no idea how frightening that thought is!" She put her head down on her knees and sobbed.

Valorick was speechless. Other than Hermione, he had never seen a girl's tears, and witnessing it now unsettles him. He looked around the tiny dell and could think of nothing to say.

Persephone then looked up at him. "I do not blame your father. After all, he too has known the pain of losing his homeland. But look, he had rebuilt it, will I ever rebuild mine?" She wiped her tears with her sleeves and looked up at the small clearing that opened up to the sky. "I had a friend, we grew up together, he and I used to play in the meadows all the time, and we looked at the moon every night. His name is Corsaire, the most mischievous boy! I wonder where he is now…. he left with the others, they were hoping to find help for our home, but they never returned. I miss him so much."

Valorick gulped. "Do you…do you love him?"

"Yes, of course, but only as a friend and brother. It is like you and Hermione"

"Oh I see."

Persephone inhaled deeply and stood up, and stretched out her arms. "The air here is always so fresh. I don't even know how I found this place; it was by chance. My homeland was full of little nooks like this, and I liked to hide in them whenever I had to think. Look, the rain has abated a bit."

Valorick stood up and leaned against the tree. Small droplets of rain escaped the great foliage that canopied the dell. In the dimming light, each raindrop that fell on Persephone seems to have glistened her profile that gazed skyward. The watery crystals complemented her diamond eyes that were newly bejewelled by her tears. The colours of the scene and the sparkles were all associated with images of frost, but for the first time, Valorick did not feel cold when he looked upon her. At the moment, she reminded him of the moon. There was no wintriness, but a fire of blue and white.

Persephone turned to him. "Do you still think I'm cold?"

Valorick was embarrassed that she had detected his previous judgement of her. "No, no, of course not….and I'm sorry if I ever thought so. I shouldn't judge anyone."

"Well, you've seen the most vulnerable side of me. In truth, I'm rather embarrassed," she laughed. "Other than my father and Corsaire, no one has ever really known my feelings, not even my happiness."

"Don't be embarrassed. I'm very honored that you confided in me. From now on, feel free to tell me anything, whether it's something happy or sad, I'd be more than happy to share your burden."

Persephone smiled. They stood in silence for some time, till the light had almost disappeared from the sky. The Persephone said, "Why? Why would you do that for me?"

"Because…" Valorick paused and pondered whether he should do as he really desired and just hold her in his arms. Emboldened by the very potentiality of the moment, he held her hand and put it against his heart. "Because very pain that you feel, I feel it too."

In the faint light, their blushing was not visible. Persephone leaned in closer to him. "You know, I think this has been the longest that I have ever looked at you since I met you. I never looked at you longer than a few seconds before. You know why? It's because you look so familiar somehow, and that kind of scares me."

"You look familiar too, actually"

"Really?" she laughed. "Well, Valorick," she enunciated his name. "Perhaps we have met in a different world, except we just can't remember it. And in that world, your green eyes look the same as they do now, even in the darkness."

Valorick stood very still, and only a few seconds later realized that he had not been breathing. He then inhaled deeply and nearly choked on the air. "Oh Great Gaea, I'm so sorry…I don't know what came over me."

Persephone laughed. "That's okay. We should be getting back anyways. It'll be hard crawling through the shrubs now."

"It'll be fine. We just have to be careful." Valorick then took her hand and groped in the darkness until he came to the opening in the shrubs. They then crawled through the tunnel and returned to the Nipponese garden.

Hermione, who had been playing in the garden with her newly born Asgardian snow dragon, came running towards them. "Val! Where have you been? Dinner is almost ready!"

"Oh, we were, we were just…"

Before Valorick could conjure up a suitable reply, Hermione ran past him and up to Persephone's side. "Oh, Miss Persephone! I've heard that they've treated you horridly in there! If it makes you feel better, you can play with my little snow dragon; its name is Eskie, like Escaflowne. Val got it in Asgard." Hermione beckoned forth a tiny creature that flew lopsidedly towards her. Its large sable eyes gleamed bright in the fading light, and its wings shone silvery white, its feathers shimmering with hints of green and rose, and sprinkling trails of sparkles wherever it flew.

Persephone welcomed the magical little creature into her arms. "Oh, it's adorable! I'm certain we have similar creatures in Serenus, though nothing quite so beautiful. Look, it's got all these sparkles on me now!" Persephone caressed the dragon's white feathers. "How beautiful! If only I had such wings!"

At that point, Valorick suddenly remembered that if she had been full draconian, wouldn't she have wings just like he himself does? He realized that there was so much he did not know about her, and therefore he thought it apt to refrain from any overt display of affections.

Hermione suddenly hugged Persephone. "Miss Persephone, are you very lonely? Do you miss your family? I can feel that you do. If I were away on another world, far from my family, I'd miss them too, even Val."

Persephone let the little dragon fly away, and knelt down beside Hermione. "You're very perceptive, Hermione. I do miss my family and friends. My father passed away, so I'm never going to see him again. I still have friends, but they're scattered all over the place, and I don't know if I'll ever see them again."

"Don't worry, I'm sure you will Miss Persephone. My mom has always taught me to believe in the Atlantis Within, and when you do, it will give you powers."

"The Atlantis Within?" Persephone asked.

"It basically means the power of love and belief. My parents have that. I think I'll have it too, one day in life, though I'm not sure how to get it. I think you'd have to find someone who teaches it to you somehow."

"I see, that's very interesting, Hermione. You're quite smart for your age!"

Valorick laughed. "You should see her when she's being a baby!" Hermione pouted at him. "Anyhow, we should be getting ready for dinner." The three of them went inside the palace. The little snow dragon, toppling over as it flies, scattered shimmering dust over the grass and hedges. But very soon, the dark wind picked up the sparkles and seeded them in some distant corner.

…………………………………………………………………

Van searched for Hitomi. Ever since the earlier incident involving the shared vision and the glowing of the pendant, he has not seen her. After finishing his daily duties, he looked through the rooms, until he found Hitomi sitting on the ground in a hidden corner of the library.

"Hitomi!" he immediately crouched down beside her. "What's the matter?"

"Van…I'm just concerned about what happened, with the vision and the pendant. I tried to look for a picture of a triangle surrounding a central flame, anything that resembles what we saw."

"And did you find it?"

She grabbed a book that was lying near her ankles. "Yes, here, read this passage."

Van turned to the marked page of the book entitled, _Stars and the Mystic Moon_. Right away, he noticed a magnificent picture of a figure shaped by stars, with three concentrated in the middle, and one for each of the four corners. The caption read, "The constellation of Orion." Van paused as he read the name. Another picture showed a nebula of crimson mauve and brilliant lilac, like mottled silk strewn with a million specks of diamond and gold. This picture was called, "The Heart of Orion." Van turned the page, and began to read the long passage:

"_Orion, known as 'The Tears of Time' on Gaea, conveys special significance to the ancient people of the Mystic Moon. Astronomically, the constellation of Orion contains the great Orion Nebula, the so-called heart of the constellation, and one of the great stellar nurseries of the universe. It is the birthplace of millions of stars and solar systems." _

At this point, Van remembered that 'The Tears of Time' is also known as the birthplace of worlds to come…

"Who is the author of this book?" he asked.

"It is anonymous."

"Perfect! We have no one to ask…So presumably, this is someone who has travelled to the Mystic Moon through the Dimensional Gap, and came back to Gaea." He read on.

"_For this reason, the ancient people called the Mayans saw the Orion nebula as the Hearth of Creation. They believed that the stars Alnitak, Saiph and Rigel in the constellation formed the three points of a triangle, and on the day of creation, a fire was ignited in the middle of the three, forming the great nebula that is the origin of all life." _

Van paused and turned to Hitomi. "So what we saw in the vision today, that was basically a cluster of stars? We can see this constellation from Gaea right?"

Hitomi sighed and put her head on Van's shoulder. "It doesn't matter that it's just a constellation, what matters is what it symbolizes to these ancient civilizations on Earth. And yes, we can see it from here, it is the only constellation that is the same on Gaea and Earth."

"Yes, I remember you telling me that long ago." Van continued reading:

_In the elaborate mythology of the ancient people from India, Orion is identified as the incarnation of Brahman, the matrix of all life. It is also connected with Shiva, the creator of Time, and the embodiment of eternal Cosmic Energy. _

Van smiled at that point. "It's funny how the name of the constellation is Orion. This characterization actually reminds me of him."

Hitomi did not smile back. "Read on, Van, and you will see when I am concerned."

"_The great civilization of the ancient Egyptians also consecrated Orion, thus they built great triangular structures, known as the pyramids, in alignment with the three central stars that appear in a string. Orion is known to be the resting place of the god Osiris, who was once king of Earth, later ruler of the dead. Therefore, Orion draws the power of birth and rebirth from Osiris. In the language of the Egyptians, Orion is symbolized by a star enclosed in a circle, and it is called 'Sahu,' meaning 'union of three'."_

Van dropped the book onto his lap. He closed his eyes in resignation. "I see what you mean. 'Sahu,' that is what the soothsayer in Aleph called Orion. He revered Orion as a god. But maybe he had read about this myth somewhere."

"No, Van, don't try to justify it. We've been through too much to use logic to fight our way out. You and I both know that the past is returning. Change is upon us. The soothsayer, the vision, the pendant, it all amounts to some cosmic shift. Maybe that is why there are all these images of stars and darkness and death." Hitomi noticed that the pendant that begun to glow.

Van sighed deeply, and clutched the gem. "I don't understand, I don't. What have we done to deserve this? Haven't we suffered enough pain? Why won't the fates just leave me alone?" he was becoming angry.

"Stop, Van!" Hitomi squeezed his hand. "I know how you feel. But there's nothing we can do. This cosmic mystery, or whatever it is, will unfold itself gradually. We can just take it one day at a time."

At the moment, Orion stormed into the room. "There you two are! I've been looking for you! It's almost food time. Allen is going home after dinner. Unfortunately, Amadis is not going with him." Orion sat down on a pile of books, eating a piscus.

"Orion," Van called sadly.

"What's wrong?"

"Do you remember what the soothsayer in Aleph said to you?"

Orion hesitated for a second. "Yeah, he thought I was some sort of god. He said my true name is Sahu, I believe. Crazy old man, I pity him really, going around worshipping strangers and saying weird things to scare people."

Van sighed. "Do you know nothing more than that?" He offered the book to Orion.

Orion saw through Van's concerns. He took the book and closed it. "Van, Hitomi, I know you have a burden right now. But there are some answers that cannot be achieved straight away. I beg you, to have patience with everything that is unresolved. Don't be tormented by answers, because maybe you would not be able to live with the answers. Believe me, one day, you will know, and then, you will have no more need of questions."

Orion winked at them then left the room. Van and Hitomi were daunted by his remarks. It was as if a god has indeed descended to instruct them. Van got up off the floor and lent a hand to Hitomi. "He always has this amazing ability to render a difficult situation somehow natural, as if there's a great plan in store for us, and it will be on our side."

Hitomi laughed. "Whoever named him, did it very aptly. Orion, Hearth of Creation, Cosmic Energy and Lord of Rebirth."

"Yes, well, time will tell whether his words speak truth."

Van walked over to the window and stretched his arms. He then noticed Valorick, Hermione and Persephone down in the garden. Van turned to Hitomi, who was organizing some books. "Don't you think that Val is rather fond of Miss Persephone?"

Hitomi smiled. "Well, she is an attractive girl, and he is a young man, I don't see why it isn't possible. It's rather like you and I when we were young."

Van laughed. "I certainly hope it's not like us!"

"Oh of course, what young man could be as shy as you were? Our Val is much more courageous in that regard, at least that's my intuition."

"I don't know…I'm not comfortable with the idea of him being with Miss Persephone."

Hitomi came over and hit him lightly on the arm. "Van Fanel! Are you turning into a tyrannical father? Would you deny your son the same privilege that every young man has, that you yourself had?"

Van smirked at her. "Tyrannical? Hardly. I'm not saying he can't fall in love, I'm just saying that there's something odd about her, wouldn't you agree? Her Atlantean powers, her origins, her homeland's connection to Branimir. And why do you suppose she has never seen Branimir? She hasn't the slightest idea what he's like; he's a figurehead to her. Yet every time I see her, I'm reminded of him. It's all too complicated. I don't want Val to get hurt."

"I know how you feel, I'm worried too. But trust him, Van. Look at him, he's not delirious or irrational, he's just so content, so comfortable. He probably sees her as someone he can connect with. You should be happy for him."

"I suppose," Van sighed. "Maybe it is like Orion said, we should have patience with the questions, and will one day live our way into the answers."

……………………………………………………………….

The next morning, before dawn, Valorick and Endymion set out for a hike into the Blue Mountains. They engaged in this exercise periodically, for the sake of strengthening their bodies and minds. An azure mist enveloped the hills, and from the ground, the peaks seemed a shadowy castle, resting on clouds.

Endymion led the way with a dim lamp. Valorick followed slowly, still munching on his bread for breakfast, and his mind filled with images of Persephone.

"Val!" Endymion stopped in his path and turned around. "Hurry up! Didn't you want to see the sunrise from the peak? We're not going to get there on time if you keep at this pace."

"Okay, I'm coming!" Valorick stuffed his food into the knapsack and caught up to Endymion. "Sorry, I suppose I'm just kind of tired."

Endymion continued walking again, and tearing away some longer branches that obstructed their path. "Yes, it was a long day yesterday, what with the duel between Uncle Allen and Miss Persephone. I regret having missed it, but Hermione insisted on performing her newest recital piece. Well, at least we left the palace early. If we had not, Amadis would have followed. By the way, you never told me what you felt about the duel."

Valorick cleared his throat. "It was intense, I think. Everyone was shocked to see her ability to heal wounds. It was just like you described it, Endy."

"I cannot deny that there is something almost haunting in her demeanour, but she is nevertheless beautiful, and she saved your life, and for that alone, I cannot judge her for having these mysterious powers."

"Truth be told, Endy," Valorick suddenly stopped in his path. "I think I…I think I like Persephone."

Endymion smiled excitedly. "Do you mean to say you've fallen in love?"

"I don't know if that would be the correct term. But for now, it suffices to say that I feel a connection with her, unlike any I've ever felt with others, not even with you or my family. I feel like she knows me, even without talking to me, and vice versa. And I have this need to protect her, to be by her side. I don't know how else to explain it." He continued walking.

"That could very well be defined as love."

"Perhaps…but love is such a ambiguous thing. How much do we know of it, really? I'm certain that our parents understand it, but how would they define it if we asked? They love each other, they love us, but I've always wondered, do my parents love Griffon? Whatever it is that they feel towards him, what would that feeling be called?"

"It is apparent that Griffon is a subject of great ambivalence to everyone. Can parents love a child who tried to destroy the family and hurt his own brother? I truly don't know, Val."

"Well," Valorick jumped onto a flat-surfaced rock that formed a plateau on the steep hill. "Some things are not meant for us to know, I guess. We're simply not old enough. This reminds me, we have to go visit Griffon tomorrow. It's strange how ever since Persephone arrived, I seem to have forgotten him."

Their upward climb became steeper and they thus refrained from talking. The meandering path wove through slanted pines, settled boulders and loose soil that traced the recent occurrence of a mudslide. Endymion took out some ropes, and the two boys tied a connection between themselves. They then used pikes to assist in the climb.

After some time, they arrived on top of the mountain. The cloudy mass has broken off into wispy fragments, so that the earth beneath was visible from the peak. From beyond the mountains of Fanelia, the reborn sun was beginning to rear its resplendent head. Valorick and Endymion set down their gear and found a spot to rest.

Waiting for the sunrise was like waiting for life, as if they were present at the moment of creation, watching patiently as light gives birth to all forms. Very soon, the sunlight stretched over the plains and hills, transforming every dark spot into crystalline gold. The light of the Mystic Moon still shone, though it became subdued and softened into a bluish haze.

Then, Valorick remembered: images of himself and Persephone standing amidst massive ruins flashed before him. He fell forward, clutching at his chest. "Ah!"

Endymion dropped his knapsack and ran to his side. "What's wrong? Val, what's wrong?"

"N-nothing," Valorick stood up with the help of his friend. "I'm fine. It's just that…Endy, I once knew Persephone, I remember her now."

"What do you mean?"

"She's the one I saw in my dreams."

"You're joking! She's the one with the diamond eyes?"

"Yes," Valorick gulped. He recalled the words of the soothsayer: _Remember that the fate of the whole world rests on your one decision._ "I once loved her. There had been such strong feelings. I now know that it was love. But there was also death."

End of Part VI

Note: the info. on the constellation of Orion are all from my research. I've excluded the Greek myth about Orion, since it's too common, and most people probably know it. The myths that were included were chosen because they bear special significance to the rest of the story.


	7. The God of War

**VII. The God of War**

_It's plain_

_The half-dead dragon was her thought,_

_That every morning rose again_

_And dug its claws and shrieked and fought._

W.B. Yeats

Valorick and Endymion descended the Blue Mountains with weary steps. Memories of a love brought moribund potentials that might soon manifest in the world. Without returning to the palace for breakfast, the two boys headed straight to the Nerya Caves.

Meandering their way through the dark tunnels, they entered their secret guymelef storehouse, and once again unveiled Escavlon, the reincarnation of Escaflowne. Valorick ran his hands across the steel exterior of the colossus. "I know Escavlon will be great. When I remembered Persephone, it was almost as if I could sense Escavlon as well, which means that it will play a part in the future. Our efforts have not been in vain."

"Try not to think so much about it, Val. We know very little about Persephone, it's best to be cautious, I'm certain your parents would say the same."

"Of course they would. They'd even oppose it, like they would oppose Escavlon." He sighed.

"Not necessarily. There may come a time when a god of war, such as Escaflowne was, will be needed again. Here," Endymion handed a piece of paper to Valorick. "This is a picture of 'The Eye of the Dragon'."

Valorick was enlivened by the depiction of a resplendent, crimson jewel that once beat inside the breast of a legendary dragon. "This….this is the energist your father talked about. But isn't it housed in the temple of Ara protected by the warriors of Cesario?"

Endymion then brought out another sheet, with a map on it. "There, Ara, the Eye of the Dragon," he pointed to a dot that is situated exactly where an eye would be on the dragon-shaped continent of Valasia.

"What do you plan to do with this map?" Valorick suddenly jolted. "Endy, you don't mean to go there and steal the energist?"

Endymion calmly folded the sheets and secured them in his pocket. "Val, there are certain necessities that require great risk and sacrifice, surely you must know that. I can't explain it to you, but please believe me that this is necessary. That energist is the soul of Escavlon, I know it. Without it, Escavlon will not be able to fulfill its greatest potentials, and if Escavlon does not come alive, who knows what would become of our future. My father would agree."

"Do you mean to say that danger is imminent?" Valorick pulled a cover over the guymelef. "Yes, I suppose you're right. Ever since Aleph, and Persephone's appearance, we've all sensed that something is coming. And that deathliness I felt when I remembered her….that's as much a part of the future as it was a part of the past."

"So you see, Val, we have to do this. I will go alone, so it does not arouse as much suspicion, I will ride to Cesario and take the energist from the temple!"

Valorick rushed up to Endymion and seized him by the shoulders. "I won't allow you to do that! It's too dangerous, Endy, you will never outfight the warriors of Cesario! We have to let our parents know!"

"No!" Endymion pushed away Valorick's hands. "For once, I will be daring, Val. I have to be, for everyone's sake. You have to let me go! I believe that my purpose is just, and for that reason, I will gain the energist without being harmed."

Valorick relented a little, "I'll think about it." He stood up and ran his hands along the rugged surface of the diamond chamber. "Why is it that nothing good in our lives lasts as long as these diamonds?

…………………………………………………

After the sudden deluge that irrigated the arid lands of Fanelia, the heat returned again. Trains of silk curtains waved by the open palace windows, so that from afar, it looked as if the whole castle has grown wings and were ready to take flight.

After breakfast, Van walked Allen to the leviship that was departing for Palas. The two friends stood in solemn concern for each other's safety. Allen handed his bags to Gaddes, and turned to Van. "I'm worried, Van. I feel as if there's something foul in the air. We've been in battles so many times, so we cannot take such intuitions lightly."

"I know. I had not expected it to happen so soon. A part of me wanted to believe that the tragedies associated with Atlantis would never return. I had hoped that the past would be forever behind us. But it's not…. Ever since Aleph, Hitomi and I have understood that we must be prepared again."

Allen patted Van on the back. "Be careful, my friend. There are more at stake this time. Our families must be protected. Speaking of which, are you going to visit Griffon today?"

Van sighed. "Yes. You know how it's always been with him…we're so ambivalent, sometimes we don't even feel like his parents anymore."

Allen chuckled. "I know how you feel, that is how I am with Amadis sometimes. But Griffon is different from everyone else, you have to have patience, which, as we know, you have very little of!"

Van glared at Allen then laughed a little. "My patience has greatly increased over the years. With Griffon, we will try all we can. My deepest fear is that he is somehow connected with Atlantis. There's just this suspicion that he is…I don't know why."

"I agree. I would not rule out the possibility."

"Well, Allen, it has been a pleasure having you here," the two friends shook hands. "Thanks for coming and helping us handle these problems."

"I'm afraid I was not much help. As you've witnessed, those battle skills have gotten a little rusty."

Van laughed. "Perhaps we should take the lack of battle experience as a good sign!"

Soon, Allen boarded the leviship. Van stood on the ground and watched the vessel take into the air and head west, beyond the Blue Mountains, where the sunshine gives way to mist.

……………………………………..

After seeing Allen off, Van returned to the castle, and found Orion in the West Wing, hulling out a large luggage from the storage space.

"Honestly," Orion heaved, "Does Griffon actually need that many clothes?"

"Stop talking and hurry up!"

"My, my, what vexes the king on this sultry day?" Orion pushed the leather travelling box through the door and began to help Van fold the chaotic pile of clothes lying on the ground.

"Nothing much really, perhaps just paranoia. There is a bizarre feeling inside me." What is it that makes for such terrifying premonitions, Van thought?

Orion sighed and put aside the shirts. "I don't blame you for feeling so. I don't think any of us escapes that sense of dread whenever the thought of Griffon emerges. Such tragedy, to be quite frank, I mean his birth. But he is your son nonetheless."

"Precisely the reason why I am anguished!" Van abandoned the folding task and paced the room cross-armed. "Imagine the very idea that your own child is evil! My blood flows in his veins, Hitomi's blood flows in his veins, yet look at how he loathes us! Is this the way family should treat each other? How can he possibly be the fruit of love, the sibling of Val and Hermione?"

Orion pressed firmly on Van's shoulder and pushed him into a chair. "Now calm down. Firstly, broken families are hardly unusual. It's not as if I have a wonderful relationship with my birth mother, the whore who abandoned me. Second, there is no telling whether he is something more than your son."

"What do you mean by that?"

Orion wriggled his nose. "Nothing is permanent, not even identity."

…………………………………………….

In the Eastern Wing of the castle, the little dragon flitted down the empty hall. Bumping occasionally against the wooden beams and walls, it found its way into the chamber with the Fanelian crest upon the door. Minutes after the little creature disappeared from the hall, Hermione came running. "Eskie! Eskie!" She called.

She followed the trail of shimmering dust that the dragon left behind, and arrived at her parents' room. She found her pet curled on the bed, its dazzling wings shielding its tired eyes. "Oh, Eskie! All this flying must have exhausted you!"

Hermione sat on the bed and caressed the creature. Then, her eyes fell on a deck of cards sitting on the bedside table. Never able to resist curiosity, she carefully picked up the deck. "Ra-Maat cards…" She recalled her mother telling her about these cards, which contained powers similar to those of the Tarot.

Hermione scrutinized the picture of a gaunt figure, holding a sceptre, and seated upon a throne, his face eerily green. A word at the bottom of the picture – Osiris. As Hermione pronounced the name to herself, her attention was utterly seized by the card, as if the figure, no longer an unknown god, was an extension of someone she knew intimately. The little dragon suddenly made a whimpering sound; Hermione jolted.

The cards scattered onto the ground. She quickly knelt down to pick them up, and realized that one card alone was facing upward, while the others faced down. It was the card of the Phoenix. Hermione gasped – it was as if a balloon had expanded inside her. It was at once revelatory and fatal, like a world growing inside her, threatening to engulf her being. She took the feeling as a sign of newfound power, a power that is somehow related to the Phoenix. She thought she had discovered her own Atlantis Within.

At that point, Valorick came in. "Hermione, there you are! We've been looking for you. It's time to head to Fidell, so hurry up and meet us in the Morning Room."

"Val?" Hermione looked up with a pallid face.

"What's wrong?"

"What's Griffon like?"

Valorick hesitated, "He's…different."

"Why didn't mom and dad let me meet him until now?"

"Well, I suppose they didn't want you to be frightened. He's not like anyone else. But don't worry; he can't hurt you. You'll just be looking at him from a distance."

"He gave you that scar, didn't he? The one you used to have on your shoulder? What happened?"

Valorick gently touched the place where the scar was before Persephone had healed it. "Yeah…He just suddenly jumped up and ran at me with a dagger. I don't know why…then afterwards, they shut him away."

"I see," Hermione got up, and placed the cards down. She tenderly scooped the white dragon into her arms and walked up to Valorick. "I suppose I better go see for myself."

"And don't forget," Valorick sighed, "He is still our brother."

Valorick walked out, and Hermione followed. Before she left, she stole one last glance at the Phoenix card, and saw that the red of the bird's wings blazed inauspiciously in the shadow of the room.

…………………………………………….

When Van entered the Morning Room, he found the family assembled and ready to head to the asylum in Fidell. Orion had already prepared the carriages, Hitomi and Celena had packed lunch, and the children, along with Amadis and Persephone, carried boxes of clothing that were prepared for Griffon.

Van noticed an unsettling discomfort in everyone's demeanour. "Come on, then, is everyone ready? We should get going." Everyone nodded and remained silent, motioning slowly towards the door. As they walked down the hall, Van turned to Persephone, "You mustn't be frightened. Griffon is somewhat of an oddity in our family, but he should not be of harm to you."

"King Van, I'm very grateful that you have allowed me to come with you on this visit." Persephone glanced over at Valorick, who was busy loading the boxes onto the carriage. "I must admit I am curious to see what Prince Valorick's brother is like, even if he is ill. I want to see if there is anything I can do to help."

Van sighed. "We appreciate your kindness, but unfortunately, there probably isn't much you can do. We have asked the best doctors, and even magicians, in Gaea, to help Griffon, but they have all failed. We don't even know what his condition really is. It's just a mystery we have to accept."

"It must be hard, Your Majesty, to have a son who cannot live with you."

Van smiled sadly, "Yes, yes, it is."

Under the descending heat, the caravan proceeded through Palladium, along the canal, and ascended the hill out of Dragon's Valley and into Fidell. Concealed as ordinary citizens seated inside an unattractive vehicle, the royal family did not attract much attention from the public. In fact, not many Fanelians knew that the patient in ward 303 was the son of the king.

The caravan arrived at a picturesque building, surrounded by freshly cut grass. The exterior, with smooth lines and sunlit cedar wood, betrayed none of the darkness that lay within. All was quiet in the area, and very few citizens lived in the vicinity. The caravan went around to the back of the building, where a man in a white robe greeted the royal family.

"Your Majesty," the doctor bowed to Van. "Everything is prepared. Please follow me."

Van gestured to everyone, and they silently followed him into the building. The hallways were whitewashed, and polished almost to a gleam. The floor was impeccable, with tiles of ivory and the occasional pink. The hall led to a round gallery, with a magnificent stained-glass dome high above, transforming the white sunlight into a kaleidoscope of a thousand colours. Faint screams could be heard in the distance.

At that point, the doctor turned to the royal family and whispered. "I apologize, but I am afraid that not everyone is allowed into the central section, there are simply too many of you. I have to ask a few people to remain behind."

Without a word, Orion slumped down onto the couch next to an artificial tree. "This is as far as I go, Van. I'll stay here and admire the sacrilege that is this…dome."

Celena handed the boxes of food and clothes to Hitomi. "I think I will stay here with him. Endy, come," she patted on the seat next to hers. "We'll wait here."

Endymion looked over at Valorick. "Mother, I'd rather not. I think I want to go with Val."

Before Celena made a reply, Orion stopped her. "Let him go."

Van looked at Orion, and then followed the guide down another white hall. They passed five heavily guarded gates, walked across an outdoor court, and into what was known as the Core. Here, the screams became more pronounced.

Hermione and Persephone huddled closely to Valorick, and behind them walked Endymion, with Amadis making obscene jokes in his ears. Hitomi walked alone, a few paces behind the rest, and sauntered almost frightfully towards the room at the end of the hall. She looked ahead, and saw Van's back facing her, his steps calm and steady. Yet she knew, even from his shadow, the quavering that occupied his heart at that moment.

_608 steps_, she counted in her head. Six-hundred-and-eight steps from the last gate to the door of Room 303.

Persephone peered suspiciously at the open doors that they passed down the long corridor. Nothing and no one was behind those doors. She whispered to Valorick, "I thought this was a hospital, where are all the patients?"

Valorick looked around to make sure his parents were not within hearing range. "My father does not believe in the hospitalization of those who have troubled minds and souls. Most of them have been moved to the coast, where their conditions have been improved using a method called compassion relief. Griffon was not susceptible to such treatment, and he has remained a danger to those who tried to take care of him. This facility houses him alone."

As the group neared the door, the screams ceased, and two guards came out and stood vigilantly by a metal gate. The doctor turned to everyone, "I must ask you to remain as quiet as you can, since noise often irritates him. I will now take you into an inner chamber, an observation space where you will be able to see the patient. However, you will not be able to make physical contact. Your Majesties, if you require closer proximity, that can be arranged, but only for no more than three individuals at a time."

"I understand," Van said. He looked behind him, and saw Hitomi huddled behind the group. "Hitomi, come," he held out his hand. She gazed wistfully at him, and walked over, taking his hand. "Hitomi," Van whispered to her, "I know you're frightened. But remember, he is still our son."

The black gate opened. Everyone walked inside and found themselves inside a bright chamber, with a large glass wall in front. Nothing was visible on the other side of the glass, for it was veiled by a white curtain. They were seated in two rows, in front of the curtain, as if awaiting the commencement of a show. Van and Hitomi remained standing before a door in the glass wall.

The tension mounted. Hermione clasped Valorick's hand. Amadis alone seemed unaffected, and sat polishing the hilt of his dagger.

The curtain was drawn. On the other side was a wall, made of what the doctor called titanium. In between the glass wall and the titanium wall was a narrow corridor, and that was where Van and Hitomi entered. The titanium wall, the spectators soon learned, was a gate as well, for it began to be lifted off the ground. Behind it was another transparent barrier, with a slit in the middle where a person's arms could reach through. When the titanium gate was fully removed, it revealed a white room – inside, cowered on the bed, was a little black figure.

Hitomi knelt down next to the slit in the wall, and reached her arm through. "Gr-Gr-Griffon? Mommy is here. Father is here too, and we brought your little sister, Hermione. You've never met her. Griffon?"

No response and no movement.

Van knelt down beside Hitomi. "Griffon, won't you like to meet your little sister?"

Complete stillness.

Van stood up and went back into the glass chamber, and held his hand out to Hermione, who stubbornly clung onto Valorick. At that moment, a sudden jolt and a scream.

Griffon had jumped up from his bed, and had tried to seize Hitomi's arm. She let out a heinous scream and withdrew her arm. Van ran to her side, and stared back at the grotesque and tortured visage that breathed heavily on the pane.

Hermione, Persephone and Amadis, all of whom had never met Griffon, gasped in horror. What they beheld was a bare semblance of a man, his only thread to humanity being his supposed relation to the royal family. He was almost deformed, his body bent and shrivelled by his illness, and his face contorted with a thousand menaces and miseries. As he banged savagely on the wall, and roared at the weeping Hitomi, all the darkness seemed to have closed in on the beholders. All the mysteries of the hidden monsters, of the bewitched wilderness, all of that was no longer fascinating, for they had before them, a dream of the devil.

At that point, a guard came up to them, and informed them that Griffon was unable to see them, for the glass wall would appear as a mirror on his side.

The howling subsided, and gave way to what Persephone was surprised to find as eloquence. Griffon's voice was coarse, but refined and steady. He talked straight into the opening in the wall and addressed his parents. "Mother…" he hissed, "Mother…What…have…you…done? The gods laugh at us, mother. What have you created? Look!" he threw open his arms and gestured at himself. "What have you done? You have created…a nothing!"

Hitomi wept violently. "Griffon, whatever do you mean? You are my son! I never meant for it to be this way."

Van held Hitomi and stared at the patient vindictively, "You are not to speak to your own mother that way."

Griffon, however, ignored his parents. He turned instead to the mirror facing him. As he started intensely at his own reflection, he seemed to be able to see beyond the mirror, and into the eyes of those who sat behind it. Hermione frightfully ran to the corner, and hid behind Endymion. Valorick alone stood up and moved closer, as if he and Griffon stared into each other's eyes.

"Amleth…" Griffon whispered under his breath. What gripped Valorick had always been the thought of his brother's humanity, and the knowledge of his own intimate kinship with that dark and passionate abomination. The two young men stared intensely at each other in motionless contempt, as if no barrier had obstructed their vision.

The silence was breached. Griffon began howling and leaping, making horrid faces at his parents, and trying to escape through the gap in the hall. He raised a pandemonium in his little cell, maiming himself by ramming the walls and biting his own flesh. Hitomi tried to go forward to touch him, but Van restrained her. Guards came in and inserted long bayonet-like rods into the cell, to try to pacify him. Seeing this, Hitomi hysterically tried to stop them.

Wanting to help his father, Valorick quickly went through the door, and into the corridor. The doctor entered and tried to drag Valorick out. The chaotic movements of Griffon, the hospital staff, Van, Hitomi, and Valorick soon resulted in an entanglement. The doctor attempted to inject a serum into Griffon, but had accidentally wounded one of the guards.

Griffon began to scream. "Amleth!" he yelled. "Amleth! Amleth! Why did you leave me?" Howling thus, he reached for Valorick.

In an attempt to rescue his mother from the grasp of danger, Valorick ended up in Griffon's grip, with a dagger-like nail held up to his throat. Panic ensued, during which Van and the guards tried in vain to loosen Griffon's grip, while Hitomi watched in helpless horror. Desperate to help with the situation, Persephone and Amadis rushed into the corridor.

At first, Griffon paid no particular attention to the two strangers who stepped in front of his cell. But as soon as Persephone succeeded in releasing Valorick from peril, Griffon set his eyes on her for the first time. A gauze seemed to have been lifted off his gloomy face. As he stared intently at her, everyone fell silent, and observed the bizarre change in him: he straightened his back, seemed to have grown taller, and his eyes beamed with a self-reassurance that was previously unknown to the shrivelled and repulsive creature.

"Griffon?" Hitomi went up to him and asked, but he paid her no attention. His eyes remained fixed on, and mesmerized by, Persephone, who looked back at him with an equally elusive gaze.

Slowly, Griffon transferred his eyes onto Amadis, who looked at him with bewilderment and disdain. Amadis sneered at Griffon then walked back into the glass chamber.

"So I see. What a pity he hates his own father," Griffon said, and then returned his attention to Persephone.

Valorick stepped in between Griffon and Persephone. "Do you two know each other? Persephone, he seems to recognize you."

She hesitated a little then shook her head. "No, I do not think I have met him either on my homeland, or here on Gaea."

"Your homeland?" Griffon asked. "You mean Serenus." Everyone gasped.

"How did you know?" Persephone asked.

"Yes, how did you know?" Valorick asked. "No one has told you about that. You're not even supposed to know Persephone."

"Oh, but I do know her, Valorick," Griffon laughed.

Van stepped forth. "Griffon, I do not know what kind of game you are playing here. But you should stop. Can't you see how you're upsetting your mother!"

Griffon leered at Van and Hitomi, "I do not need the likes of you to command me, _Vannius_."

At the sound of that name, Van fell back against the wall. Hitomi shrieked and clasped his hand. "Wh-what?" Van whispered. "What did you call me?"

"Don't act so shocked," Griffon said, "It is unbecoming of a king. I have come to my senses, all because of her," he gestured towards Persephone. "Everything is clear now."

"Griffon, stop this nonsense!" Van yelled.

Griffon laughed. "You know as well as I do that Griffon is not my real name. So stop pretending, Vannius. I can tell you that this time, I will not be vanquished so easily, for I will have her," he reached out for Persephone, but Valorick obstructed his path. "Well, little dragon, neither you nor your sister, the little phoenix, can redirect fate. Especially not you, who is bound to make the fatal error as you are destined to."

Hermione, who stood behind the glass wall, screamed upon hearing Griffon address her as the phoenix; he could not possible have known the symbol on the card she had read. Panicking, she ran out of the room, pass the guards, and down the long corridor. Endymion, who witnessed everything in silence, followed her out.

Trembling, Van stood up, and helped Hitomi out the room. They did not pay a last glance to Griffon, who stared at them maliciously. Valorick and Persephone remained standing before the frightful patient. All of Persephone's mysterious and benevolent Atlantean powers could not seem to assuage Griffon's darkness, a darkness that seemed to glow with a grey twilight and to effuse black smoke.

Valorick looked deeply at Griffon, and he saw Griffon's soul – he saw the disgust, the longing to escape, the destructiveness, the hate. He knew at that moment, that Griffon was much more than his brother.

Valorick gripped Persephone's hand and turned to leave. Griffon called after him.

"Valorick! If you were man enough, if you were, even in the slightest bit, more worthy than your father, you will admit that you feel response to the darkness you see in me. In that uproar, you heard yourself! I know you did! I know you have the suspicion that you too will one day end up staring at massive ruins and bottomless abysses, into which you have just thrown those whom you love!"

Valorick stopped by the threshold of the door and halted without turning around. "Griffon, or whoever you think you are, I am nothing like you, and I never will be." He then took Persephone's hand and left. Only Griffon's hysterical laughter could be heard echoing down the hall.

When Valorick and Persephone arrived at the dome, they saw Orion sitting alone, waiting for them. Everyone else had already boarded the caravan.

"I heard what happened," Orion said. "Looks like Atlantis is back again. That place is unsinkable! Miss Persephone, I fear you are intractably connected with this entire mess, you might not be able to return to your homeland anytime soon."

"Yes, I have had that suspicion," she said with resignation. "This Griffon…he seems like a difficult person to understand. I must admit I have never met anyone like him."

Orion gestured for Valorick and Persephone to lead the way back to the caravan. "Persephone, you've mentioned before that your homeland was ravaged by the Fireans. They have a leader named Branimir, do they not? Have you ever seen this leader?"

"No," Persephone frowned. "For a time, my father believed that Branimir was just a figurehead, and that the Fireans were what are known as mercenaries who traverse space in search of valuables. Of course, Serenus held nothing save its natural beauty, which is now in ruins."

"The Fireans may not have been after treasures," Valorick speculated. "It might have been something small. Perhaps even a person."

"But to answer your question, milord," Persephone said, "I have no knowledge of Branimir. I doubt he even exists."

Orion frowned. "I see. I will pass the information onto Van. Let's join the others now."

………………………………………….

On the way back to the palace, everyone remained silent. It was mutually assumed that language would only be a detriment to the horror that it failed to convey.

Dinner at the palace was swiftly finished, after which everyone proceeded to their own quarters. Hitomi retired to bed early, shaken by the thought that her son had been transformed into her enemy. The last words she said to Van before falling asleep was, "I now know what Griffon meant when he asked me what I have done. I have given birth to him, do you realize that, Van?"

Van sat on the couch by the bed, and looked anxiously at his beloved. Since the glowing of the pendant a few days ago, he has sensed the ineluctability of change. Atlantis is destiny. The past continually returned, and he knew that in many lives to come, he would still be living in the shadow of Vannius. Even if he should one day leave Gaea, lose his wings, and lose the pendant, he would still be that self-same draconian who died in the hands of the Fireans.

As Hitomi slept, Van read _Stars and the Mystic Moon_. He once again tried to understand the significance that the constellation of Orion bore to the people of the Mystic Moon. As his hands ran across a picture of the triangle surrounding a central flame, the pendant glowed brilliantly, outshining the weak candlelight. "The Hearth of Creation," he whispered to himself.

Anxious for a walk, Van exited the room quietly, and went down to the quarters of his children. Valorick was already asleep in his bed, his hands holding onto a folded piece of paper, which in fact contained a sketch of Escavlon. When Van went into Hermione's room, she sat up in the dark and called for him.

"Hermione, why aren't you asleep?"

"I couldn't sleep, daddy." She cuddled up to him. "I just keep seeing Griffon in my head. Is he really our brother?"

Van sighed. "He is. You are born of the same parents, Hermione. I know how hard this must be for you. It's difficult for all of us. But we are here for you, and you don't have to go through any of this alone."

"You know, daddy, today I looked at that deck of cards next to where you and mommy sleep."

"Oh?"

"Yes, and I saw a card with a phoenix bird on it. It affected me somehow. Then later, when we were at the asylum, Griffon called me the phoenix, I wonder if that had anything to do with the card. How could he possibly have known that I looked at that particular card?"

Van squinted uneasily. He vaguely began to remember how, fifteen years ago, Hitomi had received the vision of a dragon and a phoenix encircling the massive structure known as Stonehenge. He had not thought about such mysteries for so long, and at that moment, they descended like demons around the head of his lovely daughter. Van realized how infinitely young Hermione was in the universe.

"Sweetheart," he whispered to her, "There are many things in the universe which must go unexplained. We cannot always pry after them. We can only work with what we do know. You'll understand one day. Now go to sleep, don't think about Griffon. Whatever comes, I'll be here to protect you."

Hermione looked up at her father anxiously. "I know, daddy. But I also know that you're scared as well. I saw how horrified you were when Griffon called you that name. Val was so scared too."

Van smiled. "You are so perceptive, little one, and here I am thinking that I've always been good at hiding my fears."

"But mommy has always told me it's ok to be scared."

"She's right, it is ok. Now go to sleep," Van tucked her into bed, and kissed her on the forehead.

As he walked out the door, he turned to take one last look at Hermione, and seemed to have seen red, fiery wings imposed upon her image. He then feared that not only himself and Hitomi, but their children as well, are involved in the eternal tragedy of Atlantis.

Heading towards Orion's quarters on the western wing of the palace, Van heard the song of larks from outside the open windows. He remembered how years ago, Hitomi and he had heard the same strange music, and taken it to be an abstraction of ambivalence, a sign that the eventual fate is neither a tragedy nor a comedy.

Just as Van was about to continue on his walk, he heard the hurried steps of several people. He then saw Orion running towards him with a few attendants.

"Bad news, Van!" Orion shouted.

The group arrived, panting and distraught. One of the messengers eventually managed to say, "Word just arrived from the asylum. Prince Griffon has escaped."

Van stood dumbfounded, staring at the messenger then at Orion. "How is that possible? All those gates…"

"Precisely my sentiment," Orion said. "But the more worrisome problem is the fact that he is on the loose, and nowhere to be found. I've already ordered our troops to do a search. My guess is he will head either to sea or to the mountains."

"No…"Van said with an eerie certainty. "He is heading here."

Immediately, Van and Orion headed down to the armoury, and distributed the weapons among the gathered soldiers. The palace fortress was to be fortified, and all entrances guarded. Such precaution had not been taken except in times of war.

To the soldiers, it may have seemed puzzling that the king should take such action against his own son. But Van knew, since that afternoon in the asylum, that it was no longer his son rampaging across the country, and closing in on the palace. It was the Atlantean scourge, who so long ago had killed countless draconians in search for the power of Atlantis.

The silence of the Fanelian night had been broken by the bellowing commands, the striking of hammers, and the sharpening of weapons, sounding all over the courtyard of the castle. Citizens in the vicinity have been awakened, and have taken precautions of their own. Inside the castle, Endymion, Amadis and Valorick have dressed and were ready to join the guards. Celena, along with some maids, had illumined all the hallways and corners with torches, and had surveyed every room of the castle. Hermione alone slept soundly through the midnight din.

A scream came from the palace.

All the noise ceased for one second, then surged up again as everyone tried to ascertain the source of the hideous cry. Van looked anxiously up at the window behind which his family slept. Then he saw Celena running out of the palace.

"Van!" she shouted. "The scream…I think it came from your quarters!"

Instantaneously, Van gripped his sword and ran inside. As he approached his quarters, the hallway began to dim, and the outside noise could not be heard. When he stood outside the door, it was almost completely dark. His only light was the silver gleam of his sharpened blade.

He groped in the dark, and found that the door was slightly ajar. Nothing could be heard from inside. He crept in silently, passed the sitting area and stood on the threshold of the bedroom. There he beheld a sight that benumbed even the most tenacious of his fibres.

There was Griffon on the bed, pinning Hitomi down with his body, one hand muffling her mouth, and the other tearing off her clothes. Hitomi struggled listlessly, her arms jerking weakly against his descending weight.

Enraged, Van raised his sword and charged at Griffon. But just when the blade was about to come down on his head, Griffon raised one hand and stopped the blade. The hand did not bleed. Griffon pulled the sword by the blade, and through it out onto the balcony. Van could only gasp in horror. The only other person who was impervious to the blade was the shepherd on Serenus.

Griffon laughed. "Shocked, Vannius? It would appear that your instincts have weakened. You should have anticipated my arrival." His eyes gleamed devilishly in the darkness. "Sit down over there."

Van glared back at him obstinately. "I do not take orders from the likes of you. This is my castle, my country, my world!"

"Well, well, well, listen to your arrogance. You make it sound as if I have impinged upon your territory. But Vannius, if you remember correctly, it was you who stole everything from me! She was supposed to be mine, the power of Atlantis was supposed to be mine!"

"It is too late now, _Branimir_," Van shuddered as he pronounced that name. "A few millennia too late."

"I'm glad you still remember the name, Vannius. I knew I have never been far from your mind. And no, it is never too late. Time does not exist for beings such as us. Now sit! Perhaps this will prompt you to obey." Branimir held a knife to Hitomi's throat.

Reluctantly, Van sat down on a chair in the corner of the room.

Branimir chuckled. "Now, isn't this a lovely family reunion?" he stuffed a piece of cloth into Hitomi's mouth and continued to weigh down on her. "Since my identity is no longer a mystery, I shall be plain with you. It must be noted that before today, I had no awareness I was anything else other than the wretched and unloved son of a selfish monarch. But when I saw them, when I saw Persephone and Amadis, it all became clear."

Van frowned. "Is this all because of Seraphine? Are they Seraphine's children?"

Branimir seemed not to have heard Van's questions. "I knew then that my imprisonment can no longer continue, that I had to fight on. This time, I will not lose."

Van sneered. "You have lost an ancient war, what makes you think this time it will be any different?"

"This time, I will tell you, Vannius, this time, the power of Atlantis is mine! Besides, you no longer have Escaflowne. I will find it."

"Don't be ludicrous, such notions are laughable even for you! How is a soulless being such as you capable of feeling the power of Atlantis? And how are you to pilot Escaflowne, even if you do find it?"

"You see, Vannius, my joke on you is that fact that you and your little whore here have actually given birth to my reincarnated body. Ironically, your bond has made my triumph possible." He suddenly gripped Hitomi by the waist and she whimpered. "It's all so ironic, isn't it? Cuckolded by my own father! Slain by your own son!"

As Van sat staring at the black abomination that was hurting Hitomi, he realized with horror that Branimir just might achieve what he claimed he will. All the cacophony outside seemed to be drowned out by the single thought that everything belonged to Branimir. And in turn, he belonged to the dark possibility that perhaps Atlantis should never have been created, and perhaps none of them should ever have been born into the universe. Branimir was nothingness at its most terrifying, and for that reason, he needed a corporeal body; he needed to be seen. He was like a vast blackness, unbounded and without centre, and diabolic love filled every crevice of his being.

Van stood up and walked towards the bed. "Branimir, I will fight you, even if it takes another millennium. Now let her go."

Branimir looked at Van with what appeared like admiration. He slowly released his hold on Hitomi and got up off the bed. With his gaze still fixed on Van, he edged towards the balcony. "Vannius, mark my words, I will destroy the Hearth of Creation." Then, he leapt off the balcony.

Van quickly ran to Hitomi's side, and held her in his arms. She lay speechlessly. The only motion she made was towards the pendant that was burning blood red against Van's pallid skin.

Orion came in soon after. He had in fact stood outside the door the whole time, absorbing every word. He closed the balcony door for Van and Hitomi, and then left them to their pretended rest.

For the remainder of the night, the palace was restless. The guards still attempted to strengthen the security, even with the knowledge that their first attempt had been futile. Torches and candles blazed in every room, and the inhabitants took every frightful shadow to be an embodiment of their attacker.

Valorick and Endymion had taken refuge in the arboretum. They held vigilance by a candle and looked out at Fanelia through the large window. They had just learned of the occurrence in the royal chamber.

"It has begun," Valorick said.

"What has?"

"The descent. Remember I told you I had a dream where Fanelia was in ruins? Well, this is what it feels like. We are heading for that ruin."

"Don't say such a thing, Val! That is only your fear talking."

"What else am I supposed to think?" Valorick shouted. "It is Branimir, the same demon that we have heard of in those stories! And he was born as my brother! Endy, how ever am I supposed to make sense of all this? And what's more, I wish I didn't have these feelings for Persephone at such a time. I know that these feelings will only worsen the situation."

Endymion sighed. "I don't know, Val, I don't know what to do either. But perhaps love will be something positive in such chaos."

"Yes, or it might be something fatal."

"I know your pain, but try to remember him as your brother."

"He is not my brother and I see nothing of myself in him!" Valorick yelled

Endymion remained silent.

"I can't forgive him now," Valorick cried, "Not when I've learned the horrifying truth that he is my father's archenemy reincarnated from some past life. I just can't forgive him! What a ridiculous notion, isn't it? Even as I try not to believe it, I must, for it is the perfect excuse, the excuse for hate…"

As soon as he uttered those words, he heard an echo in his head, the trembling voice of an old man, warning him of the danger in not forgiving. _The fate of the world rests on your decision_. He also remembered his dream of Persephone, and realized the irony of a love that was born amidst chaos. Could it be, Valorick thought, that my inability to forgive him will one day lead to our demise?

He ignored the possibly, and lay down on the ground. A dormant amaranth plant stood beside him. Valorick intuited that even as beauty and joy can die and be reborn, so too can the immortal night that lurked beyond every evening star.

………………………………………

The morning was shaded with deathliness, as the entire city seemed to have been steeped in fear and exhaustion. The market was not as lively as usual, and the citizens no longer tread the cobblestone roads with expectation of a fruitful day.

The palace halls were filled with smoke of the extinguished candles. Many attendants had fallen asleep unwillingly due to extreme fatigue. Endymion fell asleep while guarding over Hermione; Valorick slept in the arboretum, Amadis in Valorick's bed, and Celena in the morning room.

Van had very little rest. He woke up and looked for the healer, who stabilized Hitomi's condition with potent remedies. She lay unconscious on the bed, and he sat beside her for hours, staring vacantly at her gaunt face.

He got up and walked to his desk, on which lay a picture of the constellation of Orion. He then remembered Branimir's last words. _The Hearth of Creation, what part does it play in the history of Atlantis?_

Orion walked into the room, worn and agitated. "Van, is everything okay?"

"Orion, I don't think that is a valid question at this point."

"You're quite right." Orion sighed, then sat down on the desk next to Van. He looked at Van with the prophetic certainty he always had before he said something revealing.

"Van," Orion said, "You had a dream about Escaflowne last night, didn't you?"

"Yes…how did you know?"

"And about fire?"

"Yes," Van looked at him suspiciously.

"I had a dream too."

"About what?"

"Ice."

End of Part VII


	8. A Darkling Plain

**VIII. A Darkling Plain**

_We are here as on a darkling plain,_

_Swept with confused alarms of struggle and flight,_

_Where ignorant armies clash by night._

Matthew Arnold

Van has never questioned why Orion always made the most puzzling statements, nor has he ever wondered how Orion seemed to be able to prophesy the advent of great change. But that morning, when Orion mentioned the name of Escaflowne, Van was agitated. "Have you always known this was going to happen?"

Orion frowned. "Of course not. Van, you know that I have always been able to sense certain things. I can't really explain it. I am by your side, in all battles, you know that!"

"You're right, I'm sorry. It's just that, perhaps I feel less secure now that we no longer have Escaflowne. Perhaps I should try calling for it. Fifteen years ago, I used to have a telepathic connection with Escaflowne, but time has stretched and distorted everything. I don't know if it would work anymore."

"Don't worry. You might not even need Escaflowne."

"But I just feel like I do. At least, I cannot let Branimir get his hands on it, wherever it may be. No guymelef fights like Escaflowne, and if this is to be an Atlantean battle, we need it!"

Van obstinately stomped out of the room, and down to the garden. Though the dawn was still fresh, the dew has evaporated, and from beyond the highest cliffs, Van could see a heat wave descending. He sat down by the fountain, and watched the water catch the flame of the rising day.

Orion quietly came forward and sat down beside him.

"Orion," Van said, "Do you believe that Griffon is really Branimir?"

"He is and he isn't," Orion replied. "Look at our wings, they are signs of our draconian blood, and they are also useful tools. But sometimes I don't know if I've been brandished or blessed with these wings. It's simply ambivalent. Always remember this, Van, good and evil are confounded in this world, and there are no such absolutes. Surely you've learned that from Folken. Evil is perhaps not inherent – people will it into existence."

"There you go with your wisdom again!" Van sighed. "But you are right. Hitomi has always believed that Branimir has some tragic reason for acting this way, and that, behind his dark exterior, there is an impossible sadness. Perhaps this is why he has been reincarnated as her son."

Upstairs in the castle, cradled in the royal chamber, lay Hitomi. Celena and Hermione sat by the bedside, taking care of the recently traumatized Hitomi. Merle, along with her daughter Vianne, has arrived at the castle upon hearing the news of Griffon's attack. With her characteristic flamboyance and wit, Merle has composed songs to aid in Hitomi's convalescence. The four gathered around Hitomi's bed, sang, and strung together flower wreaths; they gave the ravaged room a semblance of utopian ruins, rising up resplendent from the remnants of violence.

But Hitomi, though surrounded by warmth, remained chilled in her soul. Her tired eyes gazed out at the loved ones around her, and saw only the malignant shadow of Branimir, crouching over her. Images of Griffon as an infant, as a child, raced across her mind; no amount of wisdom could inform her how her own child was morphed into her nemesis.

Hermione grew weary of the sick room, and invited Vianne to go into the garden. Celena and Merle remained behind, holding icy towels to Hitomi's burning forehead.

"Hitomi," Merle said, "You have to get better soon. Lord Van is beyond worried."

"I know," Hitomi whispered in her failing voice. "I wish he did not have to witness everything."

Merle sighed. "Well, what's done cannot be undone. If it could, perhaps none of us ought to have met fifteen years ago."

"Merle!" Celena chided. "How could you say such a horrid thing!"

Merle glanced at Celena then stormed out obstinately.

"Celena," Hitomi called. "Leave her be. I understand why she would act this way. It is not her fault. I think we've all been through a lot. You should get some rest too. Can you call Van for me?"

Celena tenderly smoothed her palm over Hitomi's burning head. "Rest well, my friend. I will go get Van for you."

A few moments after Celena left the room, Van came in quietly, shutting the door firmly behind him. He approached the bed, and found Hitomi sitting there, her arms hugging her legs, and her eyes looking out the window, fixed on the heat waves that gathered above Fanelia.

"Looks like it's going to be hot again," she said.

"Yeah. Nestor had predicted that heat would be intense this colour. Let's hope it does not amount to a drought." Van sat down beside Hitomi, and put his arm around her. "How are you, my love?"

"It's hard to say. I don't really know how to describe it, Van," she placed her head on his shoulder. "There are times when I feel we are no longer obliged to describe our experiences in words. We have already been through so many wonders and turmoil, surely it is enough to say that _I feel_."

"I am so sorry, Hitomi, I'm sorry that I was not here to protect you, that I didn't prevent Branimir from violating you. How could I have been so stupid? I should have seen it coming!"

Hitomi squeezed his hand in hers. "Don't blame yourself, Van. It's not your fault! It is not anyone's fault, even though we did bring Griffon into this world. Could it have been prevented? No, I don't think so."

"Hitomi, if you feel misery, let it out. Don't feel like you must be strong for my sake. And don't worry, I've fortified the castle and the city, he will not return here."

"I'm not upset, honestly. Do you know why I am so calm?" Van shook his head. "It is because I know where Branimir is going. We would not have to fear for his return."

Van gaped and sat up straight. "What do you mean? Has he said something to you?"

"No. When Griffon – no, I mean, Branimir, when he attacked me, I received a vision. It was of a place, a place that is on his mind, it's deeply associated with him."

"Where, Hitomi?"

Hitomi cleared her throat and said dryly, "Earth."

Van paused in disbelief. "The Mystic Moon? What could he possibly want there?"

"I don't know. But I saw Stonehenge in my vision. I told you, remember? It is the circle of stones?"

"Right….where the dragon and the phoenix flew in the sky," Van said ominously. "You know, last night, Hermione told me she had a sort of…revelation in relation to the Phoenix card in your deck. And then Griffon called her the Phoenix, do you remember?"

Hitomi did not appear shocked. "I had long suspected that Hermione would be the phoenix, and Val the dragon. I had wished that they would take no part in this destined tragedy of ours, but it seems that it is inevitable," tears blurred the intense clarity of her eyes.

Van rushed to her side. "Hitomi, I promise you that nothing will happen to them! This Atlantean war will come to an end, I know it!"

"Yes, it will," she said wistfully. "Though at what expense, I do not know. Van, I think what we must do now, is find a way to go to Earth. We don't have Escaflowne any longer, but once I am well, we can attempt to use the pendant."

"What are we to do once we arrive at the Mystic Moon?"

"I don't know yet. I think we have to find this place called the Hearth of Creation. We have some clues, such as the constellation of Orion, but Van, we really just have to take this one step at a time."

"Hearth of Creation," Van muttered. "Branimir said he was going to destroy it. What is this Hearth, and why is it so important?"

"Van, perhaps we are getting old. Everything seems so hazy and I'm too tired to see beyond the moment. There isn't a sense of vastness anymore, like we used to feel, do you remember? Remember when you came to find me at Zaibach, and all the soldiers dropped their arms? At that moment, I thought for sure the war had ended. But here we are, nearly two decades later, still fighting the same battle."

"That was long ago, Hitomi. And yes, it has been a tiring journey. But I've never regretted meeting you. Don't mind what Merle says; she is just being anxious. Remember that lark song we once heard when we were in Freid?" Hitomi nodded. "Well, I think I heard it again last night, just before I was informed of Branimir's escape."

"Too many things seem inauspicious in hindsight, and they've made us so paranoid. I don't want anxiety anymore, Van. Why can't birdsong just simply be music for us?"

Far off, beyond the cedars in the palace garden and the bird nests that were cradled in the branches, there were two larks. They lived in the Blue Mountains, behind the Fanelian Valley, and sang their song only when the winds portended some great change in the world. That day, the birds had tired of their singing from the previous night, and rested on the stout branch, overlooking a plateau on the steep mountainous terrain.

As they fluffed their feathers and rested side by side, there came into their view a human. The creature was clad in dark-colored rags and walked with a wooden staff; the face was concealed beneath a heavy hood. The man sat down near the edge of the plateau and stared intently downward towards Dragon's Valley. The birds chirped; the man turned around, and the larks saw his eyes: angry and sorrowful.

Some time passed, and the man still sat motionlessly looking towards the valley. The positions of the trees' shadows changed, but he remained, as a stone indistinguishable among the mountainous background. The two larks, the only form of life near him, soon fell into a deep sleep.

After the descent of the noon sun, the man began to see some stirring in the trees. Another man was climbing up the steeps, towards the plateau. This other figure was equally cloaked, and walked uphill with the aid of a steel rod. The two men soon stood face to face upon the plateau.

"My Lord," the first cloaked man spoke, and pulled down his hood, revealing a youthful visage and luscious golden locks.

The second stranger likewise removed his hood, and beneath was an equally ravishing appearance, though marked by a malicious gaze. He looked around at his environs carefully, and then whispered to his companion. "Dares, I trust that you left everything in Serenus in a good state?"

"Indeed, Your Greatness. We have been awaiting your arrival for quite a while now, and we have had ample time to prepare. The grounds of Serenus have been destroyed, and now, with Fanelia's knowledge of your identity, we can consider it apt to proceed with your plans."

Branimir sneered and patted Dares on the back. "Well done, Commander. It is time, indeed." He turned to face the valley that lay beneath his feet. "By my calculation, this crucible shall prove metamorphic. We shall transform the fate that for millennia has been holding the banner for Vannius. Undoubtedly, his son will be easier to break."

Dares nodded, "Yes, we have observed the young prince. He alone promises victory for us."

"The girl is just a succulent surprise. She will make it all the more possible for us to destroy love. Yes, that will be the destination of our pilgrimage, to burn down that adytum that for so long has been possessed by Vannius and his whore!" Branimir drilled the steel rod into the soft soil.

"So let us begin then, My Lord. Preparations are already made, and access into the Dimensional Gap has been cleared. We can journey to Serenus and Earth at your will."

Branimir let out a heinous laugh. "Do you hear the knell in the wind, Vannius? It tolls you to destruction, and the Beloved you prize so much shall become dust in the whirlwind." Branimir then held out his palm and blew some invisible material towards the direction of the valley, as if breathing contagion upon the land.

The two men pulled up their hood again, and with hurried steps climbed up the hill once more, and disappeared among the mists.

……………………………………………………………..

For the ensuing weeks, Fanelia engaged in fortifying her defences. The Triumvirate and Gaean Council had been called upon to aid in the efforts. Asturia, situated strategically in the Asturian Bay that opens out into the Mare Borealis, had been commissioned to strengthen its naval forces. Zaibach contributed new weaponry and vehicles, Daedalus the funds, while Freid and Cesario offered their elite fighters.

While the entire country bustled with anxiety, Hitomi remained a convalescent in her quarters. Van, being preoccupied with national affairs, had not been able to look after her. Instead, Merle had temporarily moved to the castle for the sake of aiding the royal family.

Even though the general atmosphere in Gaea had, in that period of time, been one of endurance and strength, fate had not deigned to aid in the efforts. The sun had burned mercilessly over the ill and the labouring alike. The rain in which the children of the castle had rejoiced had been the last drops of water that fell on Fanelia for two colors. A drought fell upon the green land and famine soon followed. The disasters were not confined to Fanelia, and had spread to the rest of Valasia. By the color of Lilac, the Council had declared famine in the continent.

As a result of the famine, the war efforts were halted, and the various governments attempted to distribute enough food and water for the ailing citizens. In southern Fanelia, in the village of Arzas, there came rumours that the villagers had begun to ingest what was called "rice meat," which was, in fact, human flesh.

On Lilac, 15th Moon, the King marched down to Arzas with soldiers, intent on ending the macabre activity of eating "rice meat." Van had been livid for two days since hearing the news, and had delayed other duties so that he may personally attend to the matter. By that time, Hitomi had recovered her strength, and had been researching on the Hearth of Creation. The urgency of Fanelian politics had prevented them from journeying to the Mystic Moon.

From afar, the village of Arzas did not elicit any suspicion of morbidity. Van remembered the village as the place where he and Hitomi landed when he had first brought her to Gaea. The thatched roof cottages still stood the way they always did, surrounded by fields of tall, uncouth grass.

As the King's procession slowly entered the village, it became apparent that the majority of the dwellings were abandoned. No villager was in sight. The soldiers searched the houses, and came back with only forsaken farming tools and torn clothing.

Orion, at the head of the procession, turned his horse around so he could talk to Van. "There is something foul in the air."

Van frowned. "Hmm…Let's go further into the village. Expand the search parameters!"

Orion motioned for the soldiers to go forward, and he followed them. Pretty soon, a captain shouted to Orion and pointed to the direction of an open field that lay behind the village houses. Everyone quickly proceeded to the spot.

All the morbidity of battle could not surpass what the visitors beheld: villagers, men, women, and children, crouched around a limp corpse, their heads and backs bent, their mouths feasting ravenously.

Van hollered and all the soldiers rushed forward, swords unsheathed, and pulled the villagers away from the gaunt, half-torn man, lying in an ocean of blood. The villagers promptly screamed with repulsive misery, and were restrained by the soldiers.

Van and Orion cringed upon the macabre sight. "In the name of all the heavens!" Van shouted. "How is it possible that such a horrific act can take place upon my land!" Enraged, Van unsheathed his sword, and began waving it manically in the direction of the prostrate villagers. "Fanelia, my father's Fanelia, has never known such monsters as you! What have you done? What great crime have you committed against all of Gaea? This is cannibalism! It is more gruesome than the worst battles I have seen! Do you wish for your children to live on knowing that their lives had come from the blood of another who was mercilessly slaughtered? Do you, do you? Answer me!"

Exhausted and confused, Van fell a few steps backward and slumped down onto a boulder. He sat, leaning tremulously upon his sword, and began weeping. The villagers and soldiers alike were silenced by the sobs of the King. Orion came over and placed a hand on Van's shoulder.

"Orion…" Van whispered in a shaking voice. "Look at all that blood. I have not seen so much blood since the last battle against the Fireans. Somehow I think this is all Branimir's doing. Do you think Fanelia will be punished for this?"

"Van, there is never any way to stop blood from flowing, you know that. Sadly, that is the fate of all human worlds, especially ones in which the likes of Branimir roam."

Van looked up at Orion with a painful gaze. "Do you suppose that….that when we killed people in battles, it was just another form of cannibalism?"

Orion did not answer. He looked towards one of the captains, and motioned for him to bring forth a cargo they had carried all the way from Palladium. The soldiers moved rapidly and brought forth a massive carriage, with numerous wooden boxes stacked on top. The cargo was unloaded and placed in neat order before the villagers.

The King staggeringly stood up, holding onto his sword for support, and approached the cargo. He caressed the boxes, as if they had been children, and leaned against them, sighing. "Villagers of Arzas, the tragedy and horror of your act weigh heavily upon us all. There is no reversing what has been done…I cannot pretend that I fully understand the nature and reason of your act, but I suppose I must take some responsibility." Quiet mutters spread through the crowd. "The drought and famine I cannot control, but as your king, I should have controlled food distribution more efficiently.

Van looked over to Orion, and the latter nodded. Van continued, "For reasons unknown to you, the food has become like money over the past color, and I have been unable to control the flow. Therefore," Van gestured to the boxes, "I have brought with me food supply taken directly from the grainary of the royal palace."

Excited shouts of glee and gratitude overtook the villagers, and the soldiers were compelled to stop them from rushing forward towards the food.

Van raised his hand to silence the crowd. "However, I must ask of you to repent for what you have done. Give this man a proper burial. Seek forgiveness from those whom you have slaughtered. I ask you, as your king, to give me some sign of remorse."

Silence. No one moved or spoke. Van waited in pain. Then, much to everyone's shock, the King knelt down in front of his subjects.

At first, nobody motioned towards Van, not even Orion. Then slowly, as all the adults froze in their places, a little girl came forward. She cautiously walked across the distance, stepping through the blood pool, and came up to the King.

Van looked up at the little child, her porcelain face besmeared with blood. Van wiped the blood away, and the child, as if representing the entire village, knelt down beside Van, and embraced him.

From that day forward, all of Gaea would speak of the horrific 'rice meat' of Arzas, and how the macabre village was reformed by the tears of a kneeling king.

………………………………………………….

Van returned to the palace that evening, torn and fatigued. Hitomi found him resting in the arboretum, next to the amaranth plants that were yet to bloom.

"Van, I heard about what happened in Arzas. It was a very noble thing you did."

He sighed and shook his head. "I'm lucky that they didn't start an uprising. At least in such cases, emotion can move them to stop killing. I'm not sure we would be so fortunate with the Fireans."

Hitomi took out some pieces of paper from her pockets. "I took some notes on the Hearth of Creation. I think, as soon as the problems in Fanelia subside a little, we should embark on our journey."

"I'm not sure how soon the problems can be settled. But I must say, I somehow feel like these problems in Gaea are related to Branimir. It's inexplicable, but when I saw that mangled body today…I thought of him."

"I have a similar sentiment, which is why I believe we must find a way to Earth. Do you think the pendant will still work?"

Van looked at the jewel hanging from his neck. "Its lustre has been returning lately. I guess we can assume that its former powers have also returned. But I just don't know if I can leave Fanelia in such a time of need."

"You will have Val here."

Van was stunned. "Hitomi, you cannot possibly be serious about letting Val govern the country? He hardly understands anything about ruling Fanelia, especially not in such dire times!"

"Van, I don't mean to let him rule! I honestly believe that these troubles are related to Branimir, and that he has caused them in order to chain you here! But we must follow him, Van. Don't worry, the problems will lighten, giving us a chance to leave."

Van sighed. "We will see. In the mean time, I will consider the prospect of letting Val take over."

Prince Valorick, so long viewed by Fanelians as the torchbearer of continued prosperity and peace, had thought of himself as unfit for rule. The image he had always constructed in his head was one of an ironclad warrior, watching the sun rising above the battlefield; the smokes would rise too, and from the ashes, his white wings would burst free of all chains, and fly towards his beloved. That was how Valorick imagined his father's youth to be.

Escavlon, Valorick soon understood, was to be the key of his own growth and transformation. Next to the vanished Escaflowne, Valorick was convinced that Escavlon was the greatest guymelef in the universe. To pilot it would mean to take wing against the destructive forces that threaten Gaea's peace. In the advent of his brother's sudden change, Valorick accelerated the finishing touches on Escavlon, and Endymion pondered the decision to venture into Cesario for the energist.

That afternoon, while the King was away in Arzas, Valorick hid in the cave, polishing his prized guymelef.

"Endy," Val said, "Do you suppose we ought to tell our parents about Escavlon?"

Endymion put down the map of Valasia. "Perhaps that would be wise, they are in need of a guymelef. With the sudden flood of danger, they must be feeling threatened, and without Escaflowne, I can imagine your father must be in need of security."

"But remember how they resented war? That was the reason why Escaflowne was sent away, wasn't it? The God of War was no longer needed."

"Val, I think that has changed. The God of War has returned, in the guise of Griffon…or Branimir. It is a little late to attempt to avoid war, for I believe it has already found us."

"Yes…I suppose you are right. And we must fight on. But now is not the time to reveal Escavlon, I shall wait for a more apt time. My parents are struggling with affairs in Fanelia."

"I've also overheard my parents talking. They say that there is to be a journey to the Mystic Moon."

"Yes, my father has told me about that. But if they leave, I will be left to rule the country temporarily."

"Really?" Endymion exclaimed. "But that's wonderful, Val! Think of what a great experience it will be! You on the throne! It'll be like a premonition of the future!"

"Don't say that, Endy, for the day that I ascend the throne would be the day my father passes away," at that thought, Valorick suddenly remembered an image from a half-forgotten dream, in which all the citizens knelt at his feet, bowing to him as king, while outside, the bodies of his parents lay in ruins along with Fanelia. Valorick screamed and fell back against the walls of the cave.

"What's wrong, Val?" Endymion ran to his side.

Valorick took a moment to recollect himself. "I….it's nothing. I just had this strange vision, it's something from that dream, the dream where I met Persephone, and where Fanelia was destroyed." He shuddered. "I don't want to be king, Endy, I don't want to sit on the throne. I can't imagine what would happen if I do."

The image of the cave crowded with citizens once again sprang back into his mind. And in each dark corner of the visionary chamber, there was the silhouette of a woman, holding within her hands, the fate of a universe.

……………………………………………….

The following two weeks brought a subsiding of the disasters that had reigned in Gaea. Some rain was bestowed upon the land, and the famine ended. Van was able to regain control of the food distribution, and had duly terminated the 'rice meat' crisis. The defence plans were consequently put back on track.

In the interval of peace, Hitomi pressed for her plan to journey to Earth. It was on a cool evening, after a day of rain, that Hitomi asked Van to join her in the dell where the royal tombs lay.

Van arrived at the hour when the great cedars infused the air with the most fragrant aroma, and the birds sang a farewell to the setting sun. He found Hitomi kneeling before the tombs, her hands laden with bags she had intended for their journey.

"This is where we parted for the first time, remember, Van?" she said to him without turning around.

"How could I forget? I spent so many sad hours here afterwards, staring into that opening in the sky, hoping that you'd fall back down and return to me."

Hitomi laughed, and walked to his side. "I do not want this tragedy to hurt us again. I believe we must finish this war so that we can be together always. I would not be able to bear another separation."

"I wouldn't be able to either," Van kissed her on the forehead.

She took his hand and walked to the centre of the dell. Above them, the zenith was beginning to darken and slight twinkles could be espied. "It is time," she said.

Van looked worried. "I've left instructions for Orion and Celena. Val would not be alone."

"Don't worry. Even the children are aware of the gravity of the situation; they understand that this is something we must do alone."

After garnering some courage and resolution, Van took the pendant off and held it in his palm. The gem burned scarlet against the green hue of the trees, and harkened its bearers on their journey. Van put one arm firmly around Hitomi, and held up the pendant high above them, almost thrusting it into the sky.

Nothing. No pillar tunnelled its way through the air, and no force of destiny levitated them from the ground. Van and Hitomi remained standing, dumbfounded and agitated. He looked at the pendant once more, and realized that it had ceased to glow. The stone once again became a lifeless thing, attached to a delicate golden chain.

"It didn't work…" Van whispered.

Hitomi weakly put her hand over the pendant. "We are meant to find another path. We can't rely on the pendant any longer."

"Do you still mean to go to the Mystic Moon? But how, Hitomi? We don't have Escaflowne, and with the pendant being useless, we have no means of travelling through the Dimensional Gap."

"There must be another way, Van, there has to be!" She shouted passionately. "We will find it! Come on!" Hitomi grabbed his hand and ran back towards the castle.

For the rest of the night, with the help of everyone in the castle, they searched the books for clues about entrances into the Dimensional Gap. The royal library was turned upside down, and pages flew down the ladders and out the windows. Even the children, exhausted from inadequate sleep, came to help.

Eventually, it was Hermione who found an entry in the book, _The Ispano Clan and Speculations on Time Travel_. As soon as she read the words, she sprang up in delight, and raced through the aisles of the library, tripping over the sleeping Amadis, and shouted from the top of the stairs. "I've found it!"

Everyone was quickly aroused from sleepiness. Hitomi speedily took the book from Hermione, and motioned for everyone to gather around her. Pair after pair of expectant eyes fell on the picture of a waterfall. Hitomi began to read:

"_The Castalian Falls, located in Etolia, has been a centre of Etolian mythmaking. It has been said that the Falls bear an entrance into the Dimensional Gap, the vortex of timelessness through which only the legendary Ispano clan have been said to travel. The gateway, however, is not open at all times. Etolian stargazers observed that upon the rising of the Tears of Time from the west, in conjunction with the sunset, the light from the constellation will pass through the crevices in the mountains, pass the waterfall, and will create a magnificent prism in the cave behind. That prism reveals the gateway. The delicacy of the opening is also complicated by the fact that the Tears of Time rises from the west only three times in a given year."_

The passage ended. Everyone looked up at each other, bewildered and flushed with excitement. Hitomi closed the book and gestured for everyone to sit down. "I've been to the Castalian Falls," she said. "I never knew there was such a legend."

"So are you going to go there?" Valorick asked.

Hitomi looked up at Van anxiously. "Yes, we've worked so hard to find this information. We cannot give up now. Children, you should go to bed! Look," she pointed out the window. "It is nearly dawn!"

Hermione yawned and asked Endymion to walk her back to her room. Amadis simply found a corner in the library, and began snoring. The rest gradually left the room, shelving some books as they go. Valorick looked with concern at his parents, and decided that perhaps they were meant to travel through the Falls, and not by using his Escavlon.

In the end, only Van, Hitomi, and Orion were left in the library. The three gathered around a table, with the book open in front of them.

"This is all too surreal," Van said. "The Tears of Time…it gives the sound of destiny. I don't like it."

"We do not have a choice, Van. Branimir will not stop. We cannot let him find the Hearth of Creation. We don't even know what it is!" Agitated, Hitomi stood up. "I'm going to find a calendar and determine when is the next time the Tears of Time is going to rise from the west." She then went up the stairs to the upper level of the library.

Van rubbed his eyes and put his head on the table. "Orion, I don't even need you to tell me that great darkness is upon us."

Orion heaved and paused for a minute. "Tell me, what stirs first when the tempest comes?"

Van looked up. "Trees?"

"No, birds, because their nests are imperilled. Their panic is a premonition of the storm. Branimir is the wind, and we are the birds in the nest of Fanelia."

End of Part VIII


End file.
